Part 1 of Essay
lasted over 300 years, from 960 to 1279. Their history is divided into two periods of Northern and Southern Song. The Song period was one of China's most peaceful and prosperous era. However the Song government was corrupt and weak. The Song Dynasty, or Sung Dynasty was a period in which the Chinese government was very ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... and regularized. Selection examinations were help every three years at the district, provincial, and metropolitan levels. Only 200 out of thousands of applicants were granted the jinshi degree. This was the highest degree and appointed on government posts. From this time on, civil servants became China's most envied elite, replacing the hereditary nobles and landlords. The Song dynasty only extended over to the parts of earlier Chinese empires. The Khitans controlled the northeastern territories and the Hi ....