<P> The Song dynasty is divided into two distinct periods , Northern and Southern . During the Northern Song ( Chinese : 北宋 ; 960 -- 1127 ) , the Song capital was in the northern city of Bianjing ( now Kaifeng ) and the dynasty controlled most of what is now Eastern China . The Southern Song ( Chinese : 南宋 ; 1127 -- 1279 ) refers to the period after the Song lost control of its northern half to the Jurchen Jin dynasty in the Jin -- Song Wars . During this time , the Song court retreated south of the Yangtze and established its capital at Lin'an ( now Hangzhou ) . Although the Song dynasty had lost control of the traditional `` birthplace of Chinese civilization '' along the Yellow River , the Song economy was still strong , as the Southern Song Empire contained a large population and productive agricultural land . The Southern Song dynasty considerably bolstered its naval strength to defend its waters and land borders and to conduct maritime missions abroad . To repel the Jin , and later the Mongols , the Song developed revolutionary new military technology augmented by the use of gunpowder . In 1234 , the Jin dynasty was conquered by the Mongols , who took control of northern China , maintaining uneasy relations with the Southern Song . Möngke Khan , the fourth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire , died in 1259 while besieging the city of Chongqing . His younger brother Kublai Khan was proclaimed the new Great Khan , though his claim was only partially recognized by the Mongols in the west . In 1271 , Kublai Khan was proclaimed the Emperor of China . After two decades of sporadic warfare , Kublai Khan 's armies conquered the Song dynasty in 1279 . The Mongol invasion led to a reunification under the Yuan dynasty ( 1271 -- 1368 ) . </P>
<P> The Song dynasty is divided into two distinct periods , Northern and Southern . During the Northern Song ( Chinese : 北宋 ; 960 -- 1127 ) , the Song capital was in the northern city of Bianjing ( now Kaifeng ) and the dynasty controlled most of what is now Eastern China . The Southern Song ( Chinese : 南宋 ; 1127 -- 1279 ) refers to the period after the Song lost control of its northern half to the Jurchen Jin dynasty in the Jin -- Song Wars . During this time , the Song court retreated south of the Yangtze and established its capital at Lin'an ( now Hangzhou ) . Although the Song dynasty had lost control of the traditional `` birthplace of Chinese civilization '' along the Yellow River , the Song economy was still strong , as the Southern Song Empire contained a large population and productive agricultural land . The Southern Song dynasty considerably bolstered its naval strength to defend its waters and land borders and to conduct maritime missions abroad . To repel the Jin , and later the Mongols , the Song developed revolutionary new military technology augmented by the use of gunpowder . In 1234 , the Jin dynasty was conquered by the Mongols , who took control of northern China , maintaining uneasy relations with the Southern Song . Möngke Khan , the fourth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire , died in 1259 while besieging the city of Chongqing . His younger brother Kublai Khan was proclaimed the new Great Khan , though his claim was only partially recognized by the Mongols in the west . In 1271 , Kublai Khan was proclaimed the Emperor of China . After two decades of sporadic warfare , Kublai Khan 's armies conquered the Song dynasty in 1279 . The Mongol invasion led to a reunification under the Yuan dynasty ( 1271 -- 1368 ) . </P>
who defeated the last song emperor of china
who defeated the last song emperor of china
Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan