Southern Song Dynasty Before the Mongol Invasion: Contrasting Picture of Medieval China

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Southern Song Dynasty Before the Mongol Invasion in 1276
Gernet describes the lives of the Hangzhou city in detail which depicts the social, cultural, economic and political nature of the kingdom the last two decades before it was invaded by the Mongols. The author describes the way of life especially to urban dwellers which gives the audience an idea of how the Chinese people lived with intricate details such as the cold-water baths meant for locals for therapeutic purposes and warm water for the foreigners. The southern song empire enjoyed period prosperity and growth before the Mongol invasion. Hangzhou was the richest city on the planet at the time. Southern Song Dynasty capital, Hangzhou was characterized with the newly elevated status of merchants at this period CITATION Jac62 \l 1033 (Gernet, 1962). The merchants greatly improved trade and drew people from the countryside. The nature of trade demanded labor. The movement of commodities through the canals and to international ports all over the world demanded more human resources. Business was also a lucrative economic activity, and it drew many people to the cities. The system of the city was overwhelmed by the influx of people. Social issues began to emerge, especially prostitution as more city dwellers tried to find survival ways in the city.
Though the southern song was not militarily strong, it ran a very efficient administration system albeit corrupt. It was the only dynasty, which was not toppled or experienced a peasant uprising it is tenure. Most of the elites of the Southern Song Dynasty before it was invaded by the Mongols were focused on learning Confucian philosophy and the contents of the syllabus to pass and land a government job. Government jobs were lucrative as the government was very corrupt and they came with power. The economy of the Southern Song Dynasty, especially Hangzhou, its capital, was mercantilism. Mercantilism was the reason why the city became very rich and attracted rural to urban migrants. Gernet estimates the city held over one million residents before its invasion. It was also ‘decadent’ if analyzed through Confucian philosophy perspective because of its corruption and moral decadence characterized by prostitution and other preservative entertainment. Many people also started practicing Buddhism in the city which was seemingly a deviation from the norm considering medieval China was largely constructed around a Confucian philosophy which was almost synonymous with its core religion. Justice was inclined to favor the rich and there existed a very wide gap between the rich and the poor. Often the poor would sell their children in bad times to scrap a living while the rich not only could buy justice but also were extremely wealthy. According to Gernet, the Southern Song Dynasty was generally very progressive, and though many Chinese traditions shackled it, it was gradually changing and challenging the status quo of medieval China. Gernet tells the story of the Hangzhou city two decades before the Mongol invasion which sheds light on the trajectory of the Chinese civilization had Mongol did not invade it. From Gernets perspective, mercantilism, better administration, rural-urban migration were the hal...