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Why was the Song Dynasty so rich?
The two Song dynasties had a nickname, “Fu Song”. The word “rich” is placed on the prosperous and elegant Northern Song Dynasty, which is really rich in all aspects: the salaries of officials are unprecedentedly high, and the subsidies are also well-known. The city’s economy is also bustling, and the people’s pockets are full. According to Sima Guang, the silk fabrics worn by wealthy people in the Tang Dynasty were worn by traffickers and pawns in first-tier cities in the Song Dynasty. The state spent more money, and the common people in the Han and Tang Dynasties paid labor for nothing, and in the Song Dynasty, the government spent money to hire people. The equipment cost of the elite imperial army was estimated by the famous generals of the Ming Dynasty to be at least five times that of the Ming Dynasty. There are so many rich people in all kinds of industries in the court and the people.
Such a “rich” method, can the Northern Song Dynasty afford it? The most amazing thing is this: the financial revenue of the Northern Song Dynasty was 1,600 yuan per year in the early years, and after Wang Anshi’s reform, it soared to 60 million yuan per year. As long as you compare the miserable scene of the treasury bottoming out at the end of the Ming Dynasty, you will know that the income level of the Northern Song Dynasty, in the entire ancient Chinese history, is a level of wealth and wealth. So here comes the question, why was the Northern Song Dynasty so rich?
One: the good luck of Song Dynasty
Such a topic that can be used as an economic paper may be simpler and clearer if the dynasty is compared to a company. First of all, compared with other “companies” in the past, the luck of the “company” in the Northern Song Dynasty was quite good when it was founded: others started from scratch and worked hard, but in the Northern Song Dynasty, it was a Chen Qiao mutiny and a yellow robe, who took over a good fortune halfway.
How good is this family property? The Hou Zhou Dynasty, which was usurped by the Northern Song Dynasty, was placed in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and belonged to a rare family of conscience. The previous two generations of emperors, Guo Wei and Chai Rong, were British lords who worked hard to develop the economy. When Song Taizu seized power calmly, the Central Plains had more than two million registered permanent residences, and the once dilapidated country was already thriving.
And when Song Taizu’s chariot of unifying the north and the south rumbled in, the good luck continued. The Southern Tang Dynasty, which occupied the south of the Yangtze River, and the Later Shu Dynasty, which occupied Sichuan, both developed their economies with peace of mind for decades. Seeing that the Song army was calling, they surrendered without any pressure. The Northern Song Dynasty picked up all the good fortunes. Several important economic regions in ancient China, when the Northern Song Dynasty was founded, not only were not damaged, but they were prosperous.
This is like a company that has just completed a merger and reorganization. Although there are many internal problems, the family background is extremely strong and the account funds are abundant. Such good luck, compared to the Han Dynasty when the founding emperor went on a parade without even having enough horses and chariots, and the early Tang Dynasty when the Central Plains was full of barrenness, and even the cities were completely ruined. The original cities with tens of thousands of people often had a dozen households left in the Ming Dynasty, which is really good. to God!
It is precisely because of this good family business that the economy of the Northern Song Dynasty has been “going to heaven” since then. But this matter only depends on the family background? A good system is very important for a company to go to the sky. One of the lesser-known highlights of the Northern Song Dynasty is its strong financial management system.
Two: The Song Dynasty system without advantages
One of the things that is often complained about in the political system of the Northern Song Dynasty is that there are many officials in each position, and three or five people do the same job, so everyone pushes them, and famous people are superfluous. But other official duties are superfluous, and the same work is actually done: finance and taxation.
The financial system of the Northern Song Dynasty was complete and rigorous from top to bottom. At first, there were three divisions in the central government. There are transshipment road divisions and promotion and Changping divisions in the local area, and there are also supervisors in the prefectures and counties. Just for tax collection, there are more than 1,000 related agencies, not only to manage finances, but also to supervise each other. It’s like a fine net, all profitable businesses must be included in the national financial supervision.
How important is this? Bibi later learned about the Ming Dynasty. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there were many rich people who had a close relationship with officials. Their homes were more luxurious than those of the royal family, but they only needed to pay a little tax. Sometimes officials even simply say hello to wealthy businessmen, as long as they give me benefits, you can pay as much tax as you want. Why did the commodity economy seem to be prosperous at the end of the Ming Dynasty, but the Central Plains caused the hungry people to revolt? The country’s taxes were all dumped on the poorest hungry people. The so-called budding capitalism is actually enough to feed the country and it’s cheap, so it’s no wonder that there is no chaos!
It was also the strict monitoring of the Song Dynasty, so the rich people in the Song Dynasty, the rich belonged to the rich, but they really couldn’t take advantage of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the national economy of the Northern Song Dynasty is like a building supported by reinforced concrete. No matter what storm the country encounters, it can always be supported by money! But compared with the previous Han and Tang Dynasties, and even the later Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, the most unique successful experience of the Northern Song Dynasty in ancient history is still four words: development concept!
Three: The unique concept of the Song Dynasty
For a company to make money, it must choose the right business. The other great unified dynasties in China have basically fixed their choices. They have vigorously focused on agriculture since the founding of the country, and tried their best to adjust agricultural taxes. Several major reforms in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were all about who would pay for the agricultural taxes. But the Song Dynasty was ahead of its time: How much money can be dug out of the land? It’s better to focus on business!
In fact, it would be wrong to say that the Northern Song Dynasty did not pay much attention to agriculture. On the contrary, it paid attention to the technical content. For example, a major agricultural science and technology revolution in the history of Chinese agriculture was completed in the Song Zhenzong era. Through the state’s improved farm tools and the introduction of new Indochinese rice varieties, it was quickly achieved. The agricultural output value of the Song Dynasty was three times that of the Tang Dynasty. But when it comes to taxation, it really doesn’t matter. An important item in Song Taizu’s will is that land tax is not allowed to be added, and the later emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty even reduced land tax during festivals. Where does that money come from? Business!
The Northern Song Dynasty’s commodity economy is well-known and well-known, but what is relatively unknown is that the Northern Song Dynasty attached great importance to the benefits of the commodity economy. For example, the strict financial supervision mentioned above basically focuses on business, ensuring that all profitable businesses will not be able to run away with the money that the country should take. . But don’t think that the Northern Song Dynasty was fishing out of water. On the contrary, the more beautiful thing that the Northern Song Dynasty has been doing is to find the right direction and make efforts to lead the country’s industry to flourish. One of the most eye-catching directions is foreign trade!
Compared with some later dynasties, the attitude of strictly guarding against overseas trade, the Northern Song Dynasty was just the opposite, full of enthusiasm all the year round. As soon as Song Taizu unified the south, he first built the Shibo Department. Then Song Taizu and Song Taizong brothers sent a large number of missions abroad, and sincerely sent invitations everywhere: Da Song welcomes you.
The foreign businessmen who came to the Great Song Dynasty were warmly received. Even in October every year, the major ports in the Northern Song Dynasty held grand wind prayer ceremonies, dedicated to foreign businessmen to pray for blessings. As long as you bring money to Da Song, Da Song will give you the warmth of spring. Of course, this “spring-like warmth” also has an important condition: only by observing the trade rules of the Song Dynasty can one enjoy the warmth of the Song Dynasty.
And this one is the most neglected highlight of the Northern Song Dynasty economy: Like the strict fiscal and taxation system of the Northern Song Dynasty, the foreign trade system of the Northern Song Dynasty is a strict system. The most profitable industry was the state monopoly trade in the early years, and the import and export pricing power, It is a buy-it-yourself price in Da Song.
After Wang Anshi’s reform, the “Yuanfeng Law”, the first foreign trade law of mankind, not only included content such as combating smuggling and commercial tax management, but also realized reasonable planning for the foreign trade zone along the southeast coast of China. The powerful foreign trade of the Northern Song Dynasty has since become more like a stable gold-absorbing machine, operating in an orderly manner.
The result of the operation was that the manufacturing industry in the Northern Song Dynasty was completely blown out all over the world. Silk was sold in 27 overseas countries at that time, and porcelain was even famous as a luxury. It is equivalent to Da Song taking advantage of exclusive technology and using maritime trade as a channel to crazily absorb money from all over the world!
Thus, in the Northern Song Dynasty, commercial tax accounted for 52% of national tax revenue from the reign of Song Zhenzong, and after Wang Anshi’s reform, commercial tax accounted for more than 70% of national revenue. The ancient Chinese agricultural society in the old concept was a standard commercial empire in the Song Dynasty. You only need to look at the late Ming Dynasty when capitalism seems to be flourishing along the coast, but smuggling is rampant and the court is even more impoverished. You will know that the concept of the Northern Song Dynasty not only surpassed the previous dynasty, but it was also a body ahead of the later dynasty. bit.
A strong economic foundation is the prerequisite for the rise of a country, but the correct choice of ideas, always doing things with a long-term vision and scientific planning, is the bumper of a country’s long-term prosperity. The Northern Song Dynasty had already tasted this sweetness.
