🌿 Folk Prescriptions

In 960 CE, Zhao Kuangyin deposed the last emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty and ascended the throne, founding the Song Dynasty with Bianliang (modern-day Kaifeng) as its capital. He subsequently ended the fragmented feudal rule of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, achieving temporary unification of Central China, though still facing opposition from the northern Liao Dynasty and the western Xixia. Over the next nine emperors, the dynasty lasted until 1126 CE when the rising Jurchen-led Jin Dynasty captured Bianliang, taking Emperors Huizong and Qinzong as captives, marking the fall of the Northern Song. Prince Kangwang Zhao Gou crossed the Yangtze River and moved the capital to Lin’an (modern-day Hangzhou), ruling through nine emperors until 1279 CE, when it was conquered by the Mongols—historically known as the Southern Song. Together, the Northern and Southern Song dynasties spanned 319 years.
The Song Dynasty implemented centralized authority. Upon ascending the throne, Zhao Kuangyin used strategies to reclaim military power from his generals, consolidating control under himself. Simultaneously, he emphasized civil governance, enhancing the role of civil officials in state affairs and actively promoting the imperial examination system to select capable individuals. Economically, Song taxation and corvée labor were reduced in various regions, and advancements in agriculture, water conservancy, science, and technology contributed to a relatively prosperous society in the early Song period. However, from the mid-Song onward, due to invasions by the Liao and Xixia, economic stagnation set in, and national strength declined. The Southern Song, confined to southern China, faced prolonged conflict with the Jin and Yuan dynasties. The government was dominated by corrupt officials who ignored ethnic tensions and struggles, focusing instead on heavy taxation and promoting feudal ethics to strengthen spiritual control over the populace. As a result, patriotic scholars and generals could not fulfill their potential, leading ultimately to national decline and collapse.
The Song Dynasty was a crucial stage in China’s scientific and cultural development, marked by the invention and application of gunpowder, the compass, and printing—three major innovations.
With increasing foreign and inland transportation needs, shipbuilding advanced significantly. Sea vessels used the "compass," further advancing China’s maritime industry. Chinese porcelain and tea were exported in large quantities, while drugs and spices from South Asia and Central Asia were imported extensively, leading to a growing use of aromatic and pungent medicinal substances during the Song period. Additionally, the flourishing of cultural endeavors was inseparable from the rapid progress in papermaking and woodblock printing. China utilized bamboo for paper production, with abundant raw materials and technological improvements driving rapid growth in the paper industry. Woodblock printing, though originating in the Tang Dynasty, reached its peak during the Northern Song, with skilled artisans across the country producing large-scale official publications, further boosting the printing industry. The invention of movable type printing by Bi Sheng during the mid-Northern Song marked a significant advancement in Chinese printing.
During the mid-Northern Song, several literati explored fundamental philosophical questions regarding the origin of the universe, the nature of human spirit (Li), and the interdependence of matter (Qi). Zhou Dunyi, Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, and Zhang Zai each developed theories on principle, nature, destiny, and morality. By the Southern Song, the renowned scholar Zhu Xi synthesized Neo-Confucianism, comprehensively summarizing Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) and Li-Qi (Principle-Energy), advocating that to preserve heavenly principles, human desires must be overcome—a theory highly favorable to feudal rulers and thus greatly respected. Later generations elevated him to the status of orthodox Confucianism.
Moreover, starting from the Northern Song, successive emperors held deep reverence for Daoism. For example, Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin commissioned the Kai Bao Ben Cao, involving Daoist Ma Zhi. Emperor Taizong compiled the Taiping Sheng Hui Fang, with main author Wang Huaiyin having previously served as a Daoist priest. Emperor Taizong even summoned the Daoist Chen Bo of Mount Hua and bestowed him with an honorific title. During Emperor Zhenzong’s reign, he continued revising the Daozang (Daoist Canon) and built numerous Daoist temples nationwide. Emperor Huizong Zhao Ji showed even greater devotion to Daoism, appointing Daoist Lin Linsu as "Tongzhen Daling Xiansheng" and declaring himself "Jiaozhu Daojun Huangdi" (the Emperor-Director of the Daoist Religion). Under such historical conditions, the medical works compiled under Zhao Ji’s supervision—such as the Shengji Jing and Shengji Zonglu—reflected his Daoist beliefs in considerable detail.
The Northern Song emperors’ unprecedented attention to medicine influenced many literati and military officials to take interest. Figures such as Zhang Yuxi, Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, Zeng Gongliang, Fu Bi, Han Qi, Xia Song, and Yuwen Xuzhong participated in the collation of ancient medical texts. Su Shi, Shen Kuo, Chen Yaosou, and Sun Yonghe all authored personal collections of medical prescriptions. A total of nearly a hundred surviving medical and clinical texts from the Northern Song remain today. Furthermore, after the establishment of the Bureau for Correcting Medical Books, specialized monographs on various clinical disciplines and cold-damage studies increased, reflecting the historical context and unique characteristics of the era. The development of medicine during the Song Dynasty was also evident in advances in medical education, improvements in disease diagnosis, and progress across clinical specialties.