

See Robert Hymes, “Song China, 960-1279,” in Asia

Curtin in Cross-Cultural Trade in WorldĬambridge University Press, 2008), 109 as quoted inĪnd the Great Convergence: Rethinking World History in the Central to its engagement with the outside world were efforts to maintain peace with its powerful northern neighbors and extend its trading networks.ĭ.

Yet, despite its political and economic strengths, Song China was not able to dominate its neighbors militarily. Even the “Chinese” roof with its turned-up corners is by origin a Song Chinese roof.Chinese women, we may know, bound their feet but they did not bind them until the Song.The Chinese, we know, are “Confucians” but the kind of Confucianism that served as government orthodoxy throughout late-imperial times was a Song reinvention.China’s population is large, and tends to “explode” in certain periods its first explosion occurred in the Song.The Chinese, we know, are rice eaters and tea drinkers but most Chinese in the Tang and before ate wheat and millet and drank wine, in that respect looking perhaps more “Western” than “Eastern” rice and tea became dominant food and drink in the Song.Many ways of living and acting that Westerners now see as most thoroughly “Chinese,” or even characteristically East Asian, did not appear before the Song. Why else is the Song Dynasty so significant? The upper-levels of the government were staffed by highly educated scholar-officials selected through competitive written examinations. The Song system of government was also advanced for its time.'Bury a Friend' and 'Everything I Wanted' rounded out the top three. 1 hit single 'Bad Guy' took the top spot, scoring just shy of a perfect 10. We ranked all 31 songs in Billie Eilish's discography, from her breakout hit 'Ocean Eyes' to her newest single 'Therefore I Am.' Her No. The population grew rapidly during this time, and more and more people lived in cities. Billie Eilish won five Grammy Awards in 2020.Indeed, scholars today talk of a Song economic revolution. During the Song (Sung) Dynasty (960-1276), technology was highly advanced in fields as diverse as agriculture, iron-working, and printing.Of early modern Europe six centuries later.” (1) To compare this period in Chinese history with the development Urbanization, and industrialization that has led some authorities It depended on a combination of commercialization, In earlier Chinese history, perhaps in world history up to Passed through a phase of economic growth that was unprecedented In the 12th century provides us with a look at society and urban lifeįor several centuries the Chinese economy had grown spectacularly: “Between. (Note: for the purposes of this list, we focused on the 10 original songs and omitted bonus tracks.A magnificent picture scroll painted by a Chinese artist To commemorate the five-year anniversary of 4:44, we decided to rank all of its songs from worst to best. Over a dozen studio albums, one retirement, and a few decades deep into his career, Hov still has it. From a lyrical perspective, Hov still manages to find new pockets that can connect to the street entrepreneurs, family-oriented folk, and younger generations alike. Some have viewed it as the answer to Beyoncé’s critically-acclaimed album Lemonade, but in reality, 4:44 is the result of Jay-Z coming to grips with his reality and going to therapy.Ī deeply personal and soul-bearing album like 4:44 is a shining example that there is no time limit for growth, and no age limit for hip-hop. The title might be somewhat coincidental, but there is nothing about 4:44 that isn’t purposeful, as Hov spends 10 tracks discussing the importance of generational wealth and investing, embraces his mother for accepting her sexual identity, and dissects how his own ego and infidelities have impacted his marriage. Hov explained that the name of the album was inspired by the time he saw when he woke up on the night he wrote the title track. Self-reflection is difficult, especially as we get older, but at the age of 47, Jay-Z decided to have challenging conversations with himself on his thirteenth studio album, 4:44.
