China & TibetAsiaMajor empire

Song dynasty

960 CE – 1279 CE · about 319 years

The Song dynasty saw major advances in commerce, printing, gunpowder and the compass, and the rise of Neo-Confucianism. It lost northern China to the Jurchen Jin in 1127 and continued in the south. The Mongols conquered it in 1279.

Key facts

Dates	960 CE – 1279 CE
Region	China & Tibet
Continent	Asia
Capitals	Kaifeng, Lin'an (Hangzhou)
Founder	Emperor Taizu of Song (Zhao Kuangyin)
Religion(s)	Neo-Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism
Peak extent	≈ 3.1 million km² (c. 980 CE) – source

Before & after

Preceded by

Tang dynasty Later Zhou Southern Tang Wuyue Southern Han Later Shu Jingnan Northern Han

Followed by

Yuan dynasty

Sources

Wikipedia – Song dynasty
Wikipedia – List of largest empires

Dates follow widely used reference works; many ancient dates are approximate or debated. Neutral summary for general reference.