The shipbuilding industry in Song Dynasty ranked first in the world. Where is the developed shipbuilding industry?

Different from Han and Tang Dynasties, Song Dynasty made great achievements in economy and culture. With the destruction of the land distribution system in the Tang Dynasty, the commodity economy since the late Tang Dynasty was inherited and developed by the Song Dynasty. Lost the Silk Road, the Song Dynasty actively developed overseas trade and opened up the Maritime Silk Road. Developed river transportation and shipping gave birth to the prosperous shipbuilding industry in Song Dynasty.

Shipbuilding was developed in Song Dynasty.

China's ancient shipbuilding technology has been in the leading position in the world for a long time. As far as technological development is concerned, there were two peaks in shipbuilding history in Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty respectively. Technologies such as watertight compartment, compass, balance rudder and pointed bottom ship were applied in Song Dynasty, which pushed China's shipbuilding technology to a peak and kept ahead of the world for a long time. China's shipbuilding history began in the Neolithic Age. In the long river of history, there are three peaks, namely the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty.

Qin and Han Dynasties was the first peak in the history of shipbuilding in China. At this time, the ships are not only large in scale and various, but also large-scale construction ships on the historical stage. The Qin dynasty devoted itself to the development of land and water transportation and dug a lingqu. In the Han Dynasty, the sea passage connecting the north and the south was opened, which made the shipbuilding industry unprecedentedly prosperous.

In the Song Dynasty, China's shipbuilding technology reached the second peak. The Song Dynasty had the largest sailboat and merchant fleet in the world. Its trade routes reached East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, which opened up the Maritime Silk Road and sold China's ceramics and silk to all parts of the world.

The Ming Dynasty was the third peak of shipbuilding in China. Inherited and developed the advanced shipbuilding technology and craft in Song Dynasty, and the shipyards in Ming Dynasty were widely distributed, large in scale and well-equipped, reaching the highest level in the history of ancient shipbuilding in China. Zheng He's seven voyages to the West are a direct manifestation of his strength, and the tall and precious ships in the fleet are symbols of the wisdom of the Chinese nation.

From the perspective of technical development, the embryonic form of hull structure was formed in Qin and Han Dynasties, and the Song Dynasty was a period of technological innovation, especially the application of compass in navigation, which laid the status of four great inventions. These four great inventions were not invented by China people, but by American scholar Joseph Needham who refined the advanced technology of ancient China. The compass was used in navigation in Song Dynasty, and the world was ready to enter the era of great navigation.

Commodity economy is the prerequisite for the prosperity of shipbuilding industry

Before the appearance of railways and highways, sea transportation was the most economical mode of transportation. Therefore, the prosperity of shipbuilding industry must have the development of shipping industry, and its premise is the prosperity of commodity economy. The traditional small-scale peasant economy emphasizes farmers' self-sufficiency, and only a small amount of agricultural products are exchanged for materials such as salt, iron and wine, so the transportation industry is underdeveloped. Commodity economy is different. A large number of agricultural products are traded in cities. The economic difference between north and south leads to the transportation of grain, cloth, tea, salt and other commodities from south to north by ship. Goods flow through rivers and lakes, linking the national economy.

Why was the commodity economy developed in Song Dynasty? As can be seen from the following figure, the development of commodity economy needs three preconditions. A large number of farmers lost their land and became urban laborers, small traders and craftsmen, and agriculture and handicrafts were separated; Urban labor force produces paper, iron, clothing, wine, porcelain and other small commodities, forming a commodity supply; Farmers who have lost their land become proletarians such as soldiers, small traders and laborers, and live in cities, resulting in demand for goods. The exchange of small commodities and agricultural products has occurred constantly in cities and rural areas, resulting in a large number of transactions, thus giving birth to the commodity economy.