What Was the Best Chinese Dynasty? | 60 Seconds History

Chinese history in the Herodotian sense, meaning scripturally recorded history, spans over 3,000 years, and includes enormous civil wars and rebellions as well as century-long golden ages. And yet, it is often not well known by people in the West. What most Westerners do know is that Chinese history is usually divided by the ruling dynasty that presided over the Middle Kingdom at the time. But have you ever wondered which of China's ten royal dynasties was the best? Well, third place would likely go to the Song Dynasty, which united China after the chaotic Five Dynasties period and, while having no noteworthy military achievements, oversaw one of China's two golden ages, marked by massive population growth and scientific revolution. Song rule saw the invention of gunpowder, the compass, and paper money, while also leading to a renaissance of art, education, and Neo-Confucianist philosophy. Second place goes to the Han Dynasty, China's Following the brutal Jin, the Han laid the foundation of Chinese statecraft that would persist for over 2,000 years. The establishment of centralized bureaucracy, territorial expansion into Vietnam, Korea, and Central Asia, the invention of paper as well as the opening of the Silk Road trade cement the Han's place as one of China's foremost imperial dynasties. But first place can only really go to the Tang Dynasty, which presided over another golden age which represented the high point of Chinese civilization, where China was a superpower in everything. The era of Song rule, marked by a vibrant cultural activity, flourishing Silk Road trade and innovation, as well as religious tolerance and meritocratic bureaucracy, made the China of the Tang Dynasty the envy of the medieval world. Now as always, thank you for watching and if you enjoyed the video please like, comment, subscribe, and become a channel member to support the work we do.