Question

"In the twelfth year of his reign, to regulate foreign trade, Song Emperor Taizu [972 c.e.] decided to appoint a superintendent of maritime trade in the southern port city of Guangzhou," and afterward other superintendents in the ports of Hangzhou and Hangzhou as well. The emperor then appointed another superintendent to oversee the activities of all Arab, Sumatran, Javanese, Bornean, Philippine, and mainland Southeast Asian barbarians whose trade passed through China. These maritime merchants, both Chinese and barbarian, would usually take from China the following goods: gold, silver, strings of coins, lead, tin, many-colored silk, and porcelain. They would usually bring into China spices and aromatics, rhinoceros horn, ivory, coral, embers, pearls, fine steel, sea-turtle leather, tortoise shell, gemstones, foreign cloth, ebony wood, and other such things." History of the Song, official history of the Song dynasty, commissioned by the Mongol Chief Minister of Emperor Shundi of the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty, 1345
(a) Identify ONE claim made in the passage about the policies of Chinese rulers.
(b) Identify ONE way in which the passage illustrates the economic development of China under the Song dynasty. BoldItalicUnderline

Answer 1

Answer:

China during the reign of Emperor Taizu of Song (927 - 976 A.D.) witnessed a notable increase in commercial contacts with global markets.

Explanation:

Policies of Chinese rulers:

The government of China under Song dynasty enforced monopolies on certain manufactured items such as tea, salt, and chemical components for gun powder and market goods to boost revenues and to secure resources that are most important to the security of the empire. The government also had control on the taxation of imported goods, purchase and sale of imported goods, issue of foreign trade permits for local merchants.

Regional specialization promoted economic efficiency and increased productivity including the policies of the government such as a unified tax system, efficient trade routes by road and canal which connected all the important places throughout China and also promoted external trade.

One claim made in the passage is the government monopoly in external trade.

Economic development of China:

- China experience a notable increase in trade with global markets. Chinese cities of Song became some of the largest in the world, owing to technological advances. Yangzhou, the capital city became the economic hub of China.

- Merchants engaged in overseas trade invested in trading vessels and trade reached ports as far as East Africa. The Yangtze river, its tributaries trumped the commercial gain of overseas trade. About 50 countries had trade contacts with the Song dynasty.

- Witnessed the development of world's first banknote, or printed paper money.

- Demand for foreign luxury goods and spices from the East Indies in China encouraged the growth of Chinese maritime trade abroad. The economic power of Song in China influenced foreign economies abroad.

- Many foreigners were even appointed as officers supervising economic affairs.

The passage illustrates all the above points in the economic development of China under the Song dynasty.

Answer 2

Several deductions can be made from the reading of the passage above. One claim made in the passage about the policies of Chinese rulers is;

• The policies of Chinese rulers were aimed at regulating trade between China and other nations.

One way in which the passage illustrates the economic development of China under the Song Dynasty is;

• The description of how maritime merchants took valuable items like gold and silver from China and brought in spices, aromatics, pearls, etc. This shows that economic development was flourishing in the Song Dynasty.

The economic development of China was progressive during the Song Dynasty. The Chinese rulers contributed to this by making rules that favored trade.

Superintendents were appointed to oversee trade as seen in the case of Song Emperor Taizu who ruled in 972 c.e. This ensured a smooth flow of business.

Summarily, trade was prosperous during the Song Dynasty and the Chinese rulers made regulations that made this possible.

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