How rich is it? Let's see how big the government pocket is. The financial revenue of the Song Dynasty remained at 60 million yuan per year for a long time in the Northern Song Dynasty and as high as 65 million yuan in the Southern Song Dynasty. Compared with the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, although the territory is small, the purse is much bigger! The high salary of officials is also notoriously high. The annual salary at the level of prime minister is1million yuan, and other additional welfare subsidies are 2 million yuan. Officials at all levels are well-paid and more like the life of local tyrants than later generations.
When local tyrants came to this state, one of the big nicknames of the Song Dynasty came with their mouths open: Fu Song! There is a famous saying: Sixteen States in Song Dynasty can survive for 300 years without hidden clouds, or even more than 100 years without half of the country, all by money.
Does that make sense? We can't say no, but another truth should actually be more clear: a rich dynasty can't last for 300 or 30 years if it only spends money on the peace and welfare of its officials.
Dasong can survive because no matter the bright spots or black spots, it can't hide the fact that ordinary people have money. Only this matter can become a solid brick and tile, and can hold the land of the Great Song Dynasty.
The following facts are enough to illustrate what the daily life of Dasong is like!
1
More generous than Han and Tang dynasties
Although in the eyes of many later generations, the Han and Tang Dynasties were strong and the Song Dynasty was weak, the first thing Song Taizu and Zhao Kuangyin did when the People's Republic of China was to abolish an old rule of the Han and Tang Dynasties: they ordered their husbands to give them two liters of rice a day, which was always the norm. It means that every civilian worker should donate two liters of rice to the government's labor service projects, and absolutely can't boss people around in vain.
This order, which seems simple today, was an epoch-making event in the Middle Ages: in previous dynasties, if the government wanted to do projects, it had to work hard for the people, not only to contribute to the people, but also to bring its own money and food and bleed in vain. Even the previous "The Rule of Wenjing" and "Zhenguan Shengshi" were all such provisions, which were resolutely abolished when the Song Dynasty was established.
And then make persistent efforts. Since the Song Taizong Conference, the project has not only provided food rations, but also paid wages. In the past, the recruitment service has turned into hiring people to work. Even during the Han and Tang dynasties, the materials requisitioned by the government from the people for free, from strategic materials to palace luxury goods, were changed to spend money to purchase in the Song Dynasty. According to the "floating set", it is to use money to trade. Many ministers in the Song Dynasty used the excuse that the government spent more money on purchasing goods and hiring people to work than the market price!
Dasong was indeed the first feudal dynasty that dared not eat or take things.
2
Good social welfare
Another local tyrant in the Song Dynasty was social welfare.
The first is education, because the pursuit of ruling the world by scholar-officials has greatly reduced tuition fees since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Government-run schools are divided into four levels: Guo Zi School, imperial academy School, County School and County School. The annual tuition fee is equivalent to RMB 1300 yuan. In Song Renzong's time, money was also free. In the words of Premier Fu Bi, the poor pay taxes for the country's grain, but they even charge their children's tuition. The court is a disgrace. Don't! It's completely free from now on.
Moreover, after Wang Anshi's political reform, imperial academy, the highest institution of higher learning, paid more, and students in imperial academy enjoyed "food money", that is, food subsidies for 600 yuan per person per month.
During the reign of Song Zhezong and Zhao Xu, he not only carried out political reform, but also completed an unprecedented event silently: the establishment of the national pension welfare in the Song Dynasty, that is, the Living Support Law. Nursing homes have been set up all over the country to accommodate the disabled, orphans and abandoned babies, and the elderly who are lonely and widowed get rice, food and medicine free of charge. It costs 5 million yuan every year until the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty. It was Cai Taishi, the villain in Water Margin, and Cai Jing, the great traitor in history, who started to do this. Although this man has done many bad things in his life, he has really done a good thing!
three
Powerful manufacturing industry
These generous things look beautiful, but can they be done in the Song Dynasty?
You have to ask the finance of the Song Dynasty about this matter. The financial revenue of Song Dynasty was not only high, but also unique. Other dynasties were dominated by agricultural taxes, except industrial and commercial tax in Song Dynasty, which accounted for 70%. No matter whether you have money or not, you should ask Dasong to make it!
Compared with the Tang Dynasty, the handicraft industry in the Song Dynasty can be regarded as a blowout, with more sophisticated technology, such as smelting. In the Tang dynasty, it was still blowing skins. In the Song Dynasty, there were wooden bellows and large blast furnaces, such as textiles, with more varieties of colors and better texture. The fine style of "as thin as a cicada" has long been a pediatrician. There are porcelain, only celadon and white porcelain in the Tang Dynasty, and colorful in the Song Dynasty.
The biggest blowout is output. The output of iron in Song Dynasty was eight times that of Tang Dynasty, and that of copper was twenty-two times. As for the two export fists: silk and porcelain. In the Song Dynasty, textile workshops entered the city, and there were "thousands of night songs" everywhere. China has more than 100 porcelain producing areas and five famous kilns. The quality is all excellent, and the output is many times that of the Tang Dynasty!
Shipbuilding is the most important industry in the Tang Dynasty, which not only has a large number of ships, but also has good quality. Especially for large ships, the "Shiwan Ship" which was rare in the Tang Dynasty was common in the Song Dynasty, and its technology was leading the world. The unique keel structure and bulkhead did not appear in Europe until modern times. 1974 Song Dynasty ships unearthed in Quanzhou have been intact for thousands of years and their quality can stand the test.
This means that all the best-selling Dasong goods in the international market will be delivered as long as they are made by Dasong!
When you get there, it will always be a hot-selling scene, such as porcelain. For example, in many ancient medieval cities unearthed in Egypt, every household is made of porcelain. In western countries, we should not only show off our wealth. According to local historical records, the rich in Alexandria are showing off China porcelain to each other. In the history of European porcelain, it is even said that there is a1500g silver plate specially made by the king in Europe, just to put a rare China porcelain. As for the palace, it is even more expensive, how to put it.
Silk is hotter. If porcelain is a luxury, then silk is hard currency: it is directly used as currency. Many foreign businessmen trade in China, knowing that the price will suffer, and they all name the goods as silk, because it will appreciate when they go abroad. In Baghdad, rich people hoard silk as soon as they have money. According to Arab historical data, they are not afraid of such devaluation!
Why is it so difficult? The key is leading technology. Although the silk output in the Song Dynasty was high and foreigners would imitate it, the weaving and dyeing technology was only available in the Song Dynasty, and the pricing power was of course decided by the Song Dynasty. Of course, the import volume of Dasong is also very large, but it is mainly medicinal materials and natural luxury goods. Imported technology, long-term foreign trade has crushed the advantages, and financial resources have naturally rolled in. By the Song Dynasty, there were more than 20 well-known ports in the southeast, which were also called the three major trade zones with Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangzhou, and there were more than 60 trading countries, covering a large area from East Asia to the Middle East.
According to Lu, in the Song Dynasty, many people who bought houses in Beijing were maritime businessmen. These people are very low-key at home, but when they are abroad, hundreds of ships are in trouble, and the other king often comes to pick them up in person, which is even better than the national ambassador!
four
Ordinary people have money.
With such a strong strength, are the people of DaSong really rich? According to the estimate in Madison's Outline of World Economy, the economic aggregate of the Northern Song Dynasty was as high as $26.5 billion, and the per capita economic possession was $450, both of which were the first in the world at that time!
Is this algorithm scientific? However, one phenomenon is scientific: due to the improvement of living standards and the development of society, many services that were previously enjoyed only by the nobles and the rich in the previous dynasties were also enjoyed by ordinary people in the Song Dynasty.
The most direct way is to travel. The ancients often rode in sedan chairs. In fact, before the Song Dynasty, not everyone could sit in a sedan chair. In the Tang Dynasty, it was called a stepping chariot, which was something in Yan's famous painting. The standard is exclusive to the royal family, and the prime minister is not qualified to sit. This is also the rule in the early Song Dynasty. But the rules can't hold the brains of Chinese people wide open, and the steps are transformed into sedan chairs, which are divided into different varieties. Basically, you can sit with money. According to Zhu's feelings, there is no one who does not sit in a sedan chair.
Even wearing clothes is the same. In the early Song Dynasty, there was a rule that officials and people wore clothes. Later, when life became better, there were more kinds of clothes. The more you cross, the more unruly ordinary people are and often follow the trend. In the early Song Dynasty, people often wore silk clothes specially designed for dignitaries, so that Sima Guang of Old Master Q vomited blood and denounced: The world is getting worse, and traffickers and pawns all wear stockings!
five
High-end catering industry
Another developed industry in the Song Dynasty was the catering industry. First of all, the restaurant is very fashionable. In the Tang Dynasty, they were strictly controlled. If restaurants are built high, they will be punished. In the Song Dynasty, there was no such rule. The restaurants in Kaifeng were all clustered together and divided into seven grades. The largest Fan Lou, with five three-story structures, was claimed to be comparable to the Palace in interior decoration. You can enjoy it if you have money!
And the service level is also high. In the Song Dynasty, there was professional industry training. The bartender in the restaurant passes on dishes, and the basic requirement is to recite hundreds of dishes. If there is any mistake, he will be complained. China's classical saying is: Singing like running water makes no mistakes.
There are many kinds of diets. There are more than 1000 registered dishes in large restaurants, far more than the previous generation, and there are various special snacks. Kaifeng's steamed stuffed bun, meat pie, mutton rice cheese are all time-honored brands, and the industry is lively. Of course, we must pay close attention to food safety. Nanxun Gate in Kaifeng City is the place where meat products are inspected. It supplies meat products from major shops and markets in Kaifeng. Every night, I check one by one here, and there are often more than a dozen inspectors to deal with tens of thousands of meat dealers. Order is very orderly.
As far as meat business is concerned, the most popular selling meat in Kaifeng is the "roast pig farm" opened by several monks in Suoguo Temple. Master Huiming, the founder, was recognized as an adult cook in the Song Dynasty. His meat dishes are very good, and his appearance is a living advertisement. How many pigs are robbed every day.
six
Women come to wrestling
Life in cities in Song Dynasty was obviously more convenient than that in Tang Dynasty. In the Tang dynasty, the city was divided into market squares, shopping had to go to the market, and there was a curfew at night. If you go out casually in the middle of the night, you have to hit the board. These rules disappeared in the Song Dynasty, and things could be sold everywhere. There are many night markets at night, and many first-tier cities are very lively all night.
Moreover, urban services are in place, and professional time and personnel are available to clean up, which can strengthen fire control and public security. For example, in Kaifeng, there are patrol rooms every 460 meters, and there are watchtowers at high places, all of which are on duty in turn 24 hours a day. There are all kinds of men. When they find the situation, they will immediately go out, especially to put out the fire. Every time, the three officials in front of the temple will arrive at the scene quickly. What should tired people do if they spontaneously put out the fire because they are late? Whoever leads the team will be punished!
Therefore, the entertainment circle in the Song Dynasty became famous and lively. Rich literati often go to restaurants and teahouses, while ordinary people go to Washe, which is the performance square. There are many goulan, different goulan programs, rap, acrobatics and martial arts, and foreigners can't find places to travel. I'm not afraid. At that time, there was a mileage map with local hotel prices and routes written on it, and even where there was a public toilet. It is the earliest travel manual in the world, and it is sold in every city, which shows the developed tourism in Song Dynasty.
In Wahri, there are many things to play, among which women's wrestling is particularly eye-catching. At that time, it was called sumo, and female wrestlers were also called "female takeoff". Often, before the start of the men's sumo competition, the women's competition comes to the mat first, which attracts onlookers as soon as they appear. Many well-known players, such as "Black Girl" and "Tao Sanniang", were well-paid stars in the Song Dynasty. Why is it so hot to look at the competition clothes? If you are half naked, wearing a Chinese bra will definitely attract a group of people.
And this kind of strange activities, even the emperor loves to watch, such as a generation of Ren Jun Song Renzong, who likes women's sumo, and also goes to the folk washe to have fun with the people. During Jiayou's years, he personally attended sumo events and rewarded female players on the spot. Sima Guang was furious and urged to ban them.
seven
Spend money for nothing?
But DaSong, a country with deep pockets and rich people's lives, ended in tragedy. Why? Many people thought it was a rich Da Song, and one thing was wasted: raising soldiers!
It is said that the Song Dynasty despised martial arts, but it is really not light to look at raising soldiers. Raising an ordinary imperial army, according to the statistics of Cai Xiang, a famous minister, one person received a salary of 450 yuan every year, and at the peak of the Northern Song Dynasty, the imperial army was1300,000. Compared with the Han and Tang dynasties, this military expenditure is simply astronomical!
But after spending so much money, they often raise abandoned soldiers, just like Ouyang Xiu said. Those imperial troops in Beijing usually hold state money, and their martial arts are also poor. They can't even carry money and food, but they have to hire someone to carry it. This has become a joke in Beijing! It can be seen that spending money is white!
Is there anything here? Yes! However, it is unscientific to spend money for nothing, because Ouyang Xiu is talking about the imperial army who is muddling along in Beijing, and the imperial army who is really fighting in the front line, such as the Northwest Xiliang Army, has the same high salary but reliable combat effectiveness. How reliable is it? Just look at the equipment of the field army. Infantry are all 60 kilograms of armor, heavy guns and heavy axes. Even if you don't fight on weekdays, you must complete the hard array assessment. Who can say this is a soldier? Take two steps in this outfit!
Moreover, as far as the equipment cost is concerned, according to the feeling of the surplus of the Ming Dynasty, the equipment cost of the ordinary infantry in the Northern Song Dynasty is about six times that of the elite troops in the Ming Dynasty, and it is completely piled up with money.
What is the actual combat effect? Looking at the war against Xixia in the Northern Song Dynasty, it was basically defeated in the later period. Later, in the face of the invincible Jin Jun, the most elite Xiliang Army in the Song Dynasty was still hit hard by Jin Jun in many battles, and Jin Junyong was beaten to tears. This money is not wasted!
Why is it not white and tragic? Just ask the retarded alliance to destroy Liao. The so-called loss of power and humiliation of the country is, in a word, a mistake in national strategy. A highly prosperous and powerful civilization may be lost in the blink of an eye!