The economy of the Song dynasty has been characterized as the most prosperous in the world at the time. The dynasty moved away from the top-down command economy of the Tang dynasty and made extensive
A Northern Song coin (da guan tong bao 大觀通寶)
A water-powered grain mill from the Nong shu by Wang Zhen, Yuan dynasty
A Northern Song (960–1127) era painting of a water-powered mill for grain, along with river transport.
Song silk production facility
The economy of the Han dynasty of ancient China experienced upward and downward movements in its economic cycle, periods of economic prosperity and decline. It is normally divided into three periods:
Economy of the Song dynasty
…coins a year up from 5.86 billion in 1080 (compared to just 327 million coins minted annually in the Tang's prosperous Tianbao period of 742–755, and only 220 million coins minted annually from 118 BC to 5 AD during the Han dynasty). The expansion of the economy was unprecedented in China: the output of coinage currency in the earlier year of 997 AD, which…
A Western Han (202 BC – 9 AD) covered jade cup with gilt bronze fittings, Sackler Museum
An Eastern Han (25–220 AD) golden belt hook, hammered and chiseled with designs of mythical animals and birds
A painted ceramic architectural model—found in a Han tomb—depicting an urban residential tower with verandas, tiled rooftops, dougong support brackets, and a covered bridge extending from the third floor to another tower
A wushu (五銖) coin issued during the reign of Emperor Wu (r. 141–87 BC), 25.5 mm (1 in) in diameter