Some interesting things in Song Dynasty

Your concern is the greatest encouragement to me!

A little bit of history is collected for you to see, when you are drunk.

1, the spice business is the most profitable. China has the habit of using spices since ancient times. Some of them are used as medicine, and some can be used as spices, such as star anise, pepper, cinnamon, pepper, dried tangerine peel, radix aucklandiae, fennel and licorice. Most spices are also medicinal materials, but no dynasty can be as obsessed with fragrance (taste) as the Song Dynasty. In Song Dynasty, incense was the most widely used spice besides medicine as seasoning. Almost all people like to use incense, and almost every family has a censer. Not only clothes, but also articles should be smoked, usually, in worship, in attendance and everywhere. It can be said that incense is everywhere and the amount of spices is very large. Han and Tang dynasties used to be local spices. After the Han Dynasty, with the frequent exchanges with foreign countries, foreign spices began to enter China and quickly occupied the domestic market. Look at a set of data: the price of frankincense in Xining period 1 kg is more than 300 tons, which can be changed into 25 tons of white rice; Long Xianxiang is even more outrageous, and 2 yuan does not sell 300,000 yuan; The price of one or two "Bai Duzhong" is also 200,000 yuan. Look at the deal. The official purchase price of frankincense in Xining for five years is about 1000 Arvinjin, and the price in Shaoxing for five years is 1310/5 Arvinjin, which is13 times of the purchase price! The value of spices traded every year in Song Dynasty can reach millions to tens of millions. According to some scholars' estimation, the revenue of spices in Song Dynasty accounted for more than 3% of its annual fiscal revenue, which reached 13% in the four years after the proposal was made in Southern Song Dynasty (1 130) and reached 24% in Shaoxing in the twenty-ninth year (1 159), almost accounting for it.

2, the most convenient dynasty to do business. Song Dynasty was the only feudal dynasty in history that encouraged commerce. Zhao Kuangyin of Song Taizu encouraged his subjects to "accumulate more money, leave their children and grandchildren, and sing and dance until they die". It is estimated that this is also a joint reaction of "a glass of wine to solve soldiers". Different from the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty limited the business hours of Fang (residential area) and City (commercial area) respectively, but shops could open in any area and at any time as long as they paid taxes, and there was no restriction on business hours, so there was a curfew around the Song Dynasty, but not in the Song Dynasty. People engaged in industry and commerce were also allowed to be officials in the Song Dynasty. "The country opens the door to pay tribute, and the road to wide collection is like industry and commerce, miscellaneous people and so on. And those who have extraordinary talents and stand out from the crowd are also allowed to send away. " Businessmen gained the right to go into politics, so the status of businessmen in Song Dynasty was relatively high. There was also a law to protect business in the Song Dynasty: "(Officials) stay (businessmen) for three days, plus a class, and don't commit crimes for two years. Therefore, it takes only one year to ask for property. " There are also monopoly laws such as salt law, wine law and tea law. These policy orientations have led to the rapid development of commerce and created many commercial miracles: paper money and banks appeared for the first time in human history, the earliest manufacturing factories and processing factories appeared in world history, and the highest commercial tax rate. In A.D. 1077, the total tax revenue of the Northern Song Dynasty was * * * more than 70 million yuan (there are many fiscal revenue statistics, and the conclusions are often very different, so the middle number is taken here, the same below), of which the agricultural tax was more than 22 million yuan, accounting for 30%, and industrial and commercial tax was more than 49 million yuan, accounting for 70%. It is entirely conceivable that if the Song Dynasty continues to exist, it will.

3, the most complicated official system. The official titles in Song Dynasty are dazzling and complicated, which is the most complicated in history. Let's take a look at the well-known Mr. Bao: an assistant envoy of Uncle Tang, Dr. Chao San, gave a gift to 1800 families in Kaiguo Food City in Donghai County, and 400 families gave it to Shangshu Zijin Fish Bag. Have you seen the Qing Dynasty? What kind of official is Bao Gong? Anyway, I fainted several times when I first saw it.

"Wen Kao Tong Kao" records: "The appointment system of officials in the Song Dynasty ... officials were assigned to manage internal and external affairs, waiting for the choice of literature." The general idea is that an official has at least three official names: rank (post), official position (post) and dispatch (post), plus various virtual positions, which is a long list.

The "official" is the rank and rank, which represents what kind of treatment and how much salary you get, so it is also called the guard officer. The "post" is the title and position of the post, which is unique to civil servants and is used to increase their qualifications and salary, such as bachelor's degree in each library, bachelor's degree in direct department, waiting system, direct department, and secret cabinet officials in three libraries. "Dispatch" is the position and official position, and it is the real authority. Its name contains three words: judgment, knowledge and behavior. Dispatch itself has no hierarchy, and the first two items need to be ranked. Therefore, the word "knowledge" should be added in front of the top leaders of each state and county. If it is an agent or a lower-ranking official, it is necessary to add a higher-ranking official in front.

In addition, officials in the Song Dynasty will also have titles such as Ci, Inspector, Proofreader, Jue, Food City, Food Seal, Gift, etc., which is really unclear for the time being. Finally, let's take a look at the famous Sima Guang, who is much more powerful than Bao Gong: Bachelor of Duanming Hall (posted), Bachelor of Hanlin Seating (posted), Dr. Chao San (the official of Wen San, without posting), Dr. You Jian (sent), Dr. Chong Ji Xian Hall (sent), and Dr. Xijing awarded the right to stay in the censorate (sent). Honorary title), Kaiguohou County, Hanoi, 1300 restaurant, 400 restaurant, Zijin fish bag. To put it bluntly, Sima Guang is the curator and editor-in-chief of the National History Museum in Xijing (now Luoyang), with many titles and honorary titles.

After Song Yuanfeng's political reform, officials of the former government agencies in the garrison were in charge of their own affairs according to their official titles, and their official titles overlapped with their positions and became career officials.

4. Shen Kuo who is really afraid of his wife. Speaking of Song Dynasty, I immediately think of two people, one is Yue Fei and the other is Shen Kuo. Today I will talk about Mr. Shen Lao. Shen Kuo (A.D. 103 1 1095) was born in Qiantang, Hangzhou. A famous figure in the Northern Song Dynasty, the champion of the imperial examination in the eighth year of Jiayou (1063), a great scientist and the author of the scientific masterpiece Meng Qian Bi Tan. Meng Qian Bi Tan is regarded as an encyclopedic work and "the coordinate in the history of science in China" by later generations. In memory of him, China Academy of Sciences named an asteroid discovered by 1963 as Shen Kuo. You may not have expected that this imaginary male god is actually afraid of his wife, and he is afraid of the kind in his bones. Shen Kuo is the second generation official. He became an official at the age of 23. Successive torture room official, Hanlin bachelor, Yanzhou magistrate. He was widowed in his thirties and later married a woman named Zhang, who was also an official. This woman has a strong personality and provocative style. She often beats and scolds Shen Kuo. On one occasion, Zhang lost his temper and pulled off Shen Kuo's beard. After that, Shen Kuo's fear of Zhang was in his bones. Every time I hear Zhang's voice, he can't help shivering. Eight years after Shen Kuo arrived in Zhenjiang, Zhang died, and Shen Kuo cried in a big mess and was extremely sad. For some unknown reason, since Zhang's death, Mr. Shen Lao has been in a trance and unhappy all day, and his health has gone from bad to worse. Once chatting with friends by the river, Shen Kuo lifted his foot and jumped into the river. Fortunately, he was stopped by his friend. During his eight years in Meng Xi Park in Zhenjiang, Shen Kuo not only finished "Talk about Meng Xi", but also made a wonderful pen and ink, which is really a true portrayal of "Heaven will be demoted to a great post, and it must be bitter first". However, Shen Kuo's personality seems to be not very good, and he is politically capricious. He often does things that betray his friends and leaders. Finally, he was demoted to Xuanzhou, and was labeled as "anyone can forgive except Shen Kuo" by Song Zhezong.

5. The emperor who is best at persuading students. I have heard a poem (song) since I went to school: "A rich family doesn't have to buy fertile land, but there are thousands of millet in the book. You don't need a sorghum to install a room. This book has its own golden room. Don't hate unscrupulous media when you get married. Yan Ruyu is in the book. There is no one to follow when going out, and there are many cars and horses in the book. Men want to be flat and ambitious, and read to the window after six classics. " This poem, which makes the benefits of reading vivid and grounded, is the best inspirational poem. Do you know who is the author of this poem? Many friends may not have expected that this poem was written by Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng, the third emperor of the Song Dynasty.

After Song Zhenzong ascended the throne, he worked hard to govern the country, being diligent and loving the people, caring for the people's feelings, and kept the domestic politics clear and the society relatively stable. Especially after the war in Ge Yuan, the Song Dynasty won more than 1 10 years of peaceful development, which created a new situation for the prosperity and development of the Song Dynasty. By the year before Song Zhenzong's death, that is, 102 1 year, the fiscal revenue of the Song Dynasty had reached more than 70 million yuan (there are many statistical calibers about fiscal revenue, and the conclusions are often very different, so the middle number is taken here, as above), which is seven times that of the Tang Dynasty; Even in the disaster year, the revenue is about three times that of Datang. The population increased from 45 1 000 in 1996 to 9 million in 65438. Calculated by five people in each household, the national population has reached 45 million. In this case, the imperial court attached great importance to educating the people and actively encouraged them to learn, and the atmosphere of learning became increasingly strong, especially when the emperor personally went into battle to persuade them to learn and drew such a big and good cake. Who hasn't studied hard? The emperor said that as long as you study hard, you will have food and drink, a house to live in, a car, a horse and a daughter-in-law, which became the absolute motivation for people to study at that time and laid a solid foundation for the cultural prosperity of Renzong Dynasty. However, perhaps from then on, people regarded reading as a means to achieve their goals, thus forming China's thought of official position as a scholar. What have you lost? It really can't be summarized in one sentence.

6. Eunuch with beard. I used to think that eunuchs couldn't grow beards until I saw Tong Guan's materials. Tong Guan (1054-1 126) was a eunuch in the period of Song Huizong. According to the History of Song Dynasty, "you should be over ten years old when you are young", "you look big and strong" and "your skin is as thick as iron". Oh, it's amazing that eunuchs can grow beards. As for the reasons, the historical materials have not been explained, and it is estimated that historians are also at a loss. In addition to a beautiful beard, Tong Guan has several magical records: the eunuch who has been in charge of the army for the longest time in China history; The eunuch with the greatest military power in China history; The eunuch with the highest rank in the history of China; The first eunuch to go abroad in the history of China; The first and only eunuch in the history of China who was canonized as king really made the gods cry.

Tong Guan entered the palace clean, and bowed to Li Xian, a fellow countryman. This Li Xian was a great eunuch and a famous figure in Zongshen Dynasty. He has served as a supervisor in the northwest border for many years and has made many meritorious military achievements. Tong Guan studied in a private school for four years when he was a child. By the standards of that time, he was a man of culture. He followed Li Xian and learned many skills of leading troops to fight. He is well educated and familiar with geography, which makes him stand out among eunuchs. During the reign of Hui Zong, Tong Guan became an official of the imperial court, collecting antique calligraphy and painting for the emperor in Hangzhou. The imperial court sacrificial officer is responsible for the procurement of the palace, but also engaged in profiteering and opaque antique business. His position is not high and he has a lot of money. He saved some money, so he climbed to the then powerful Cai Jing, was recommended by Cai Jing, and was reused by Song Huizong. 111year, that is, the first year of Zheng He, Tong Guan was promoted to Qiu, taking charge of the Privy Council, ranking third. At that time, the relationship between the Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors was not very good, and there were frequent wars. So Tong Guan led troops to the northwest border, spent more than ten years dealing with foreigners such as Xia, Liao and Jin, and worked hard to share the worries for the emperor. Tong Guan was able to lead troops, not because of his high military ability, but because of the eunuch military supervision system in the Song Dynasty. Song dynasty distrusted military commanders and was not allowed to lead troops to war alone. Every time you go out to war, you have to be supervised by eunuchs. Over time, Tong Guan became a general of armies. In the second year of Xuanhe, Tong Guan suppressed peasant rebels in Fang La, and made a name for himself. In the seventh year of Xuanhe, due to the recovery of Youyan, he became the king of Yangguang County. At this point, Tong Guan reached the peak of his career. But Tong Guan didn't come to a good end in the end, and was demoted and killed by Qin Zong. Throughout Tong Guan's life, the climax after climax, twists and turns, a very vivid legend, it is no exaggeration to say that it is unprecedented.

7. Various holidays. The length of civil servants' holidays in the Song Dynasty is famous in all previous dynasties. There are mainly three kinds of holidays in Song Dynasty: First, ten-day break, that is, every ten-day break 1 day, also known as "ten-day break". In order to facilitate management, the rest day is set on the last day of every ten days, that is, the third day of the tenth, twentieth, twenty-ninth or thirtieth days, so civil servants have 36 days off every year. The second is holidays. There are three major festivals in Song Dynasty, namely Lunar New Year (Spring Festival), Winter Solstice and Cold Food Festival. These holidays last for seven days, which was a long holiday in the Song Dynasty. There are also five Mid-Autumn Festival, namely Holy Festival (the emperor's birthday), Lantern Festival (Lantern Festival), Mid-Autumn Festival, Summer Solstice and December Day, and each festival lasts for three days. In addition, there are 18 sections, namely Spring Festival, Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Double Ninth Festival, beginning of spring, Spring Equinox, Long Summer, Tanabata, Autumn Equinox and beginning of winter. , each with 1 day off. These parts add up to 54 days of holidays throughout the year. The third is special leave. In Song Dynasty, marriage was given 9 days off. If you don't get married in person, close relatives will also have 1 to 5 days off, which is quite humanized and can hold a wedding banquet properly. Don't be complacent, the biggest holiday is coming-funeral leave. Like other dynasties, civil servants in the Song Dynasty can take three annual holidays! The emperor is generous enough! Don't be surprised. You know, filial piety was very important in ancient times. Filial piety ranks first among all virtues, and your parents are both dead. No matter how old you are, you have to mourn for three years. However, the military commanders in the Song Dynasty were a little miserable. The funeral leave is only 100 days, which may be because of discrimination against military commanders, or because they are afraid that military commanders will be gone for a long time and no one will lead troops. Finally, I don't know whether to congratulate or curse or pray for blessings. In the Song Dynasty, civil servants were seriously ill and still had 100 days off. In this way, civil servants in the Song Dynasty can have 95- 195 days' holiday every year (they can take 100 days off if they don't want to go to work), which is cool enough!