Stunning

Color permeated every facet of Song society, playing a far more significant role than we might imagine today. Song politics relied heavily on color to such an extent that it could be said to have been a form of "governance by color" - an integral part of the ritual and legal systems, through which the state administered and guided its people in silent, colorful ways.Contrary to common perception, the dominant tone of the Song Dynasty was not cool but warm. The Song people also created new colors, such as oily purple (youzi) and jade green (bise), and made remarkable innovations in ceramic glazes - particularly in purple and sky-blue (tianqing) hues. In addition, innovations in color appeared in shadow puppetry and fireworks. Many of the most celebrated lines of color-themed poetry in Chinese history were composed during the Song Dynasty. The chromatic innovations of the Song represent a marvel of Chinese culture and stand as one of the hallmarks of the great cultural flourishing of the Song era.¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿"¿¿¿¿"¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿Cheng Minsheng (b. 1956) is a Professor of History at Henan University, specializing in Song history, Chinese economic history, and cultural history. He has authored over a dozen books, including Regional Economy of the Song Dynasty, Regional Culture of the Song Dynasty, and A Study of Commodity Prices in the Song Dynasty, and has published more than 180 scholarly articles. He has also led four research projects supported by the National Social Science Fund of China.¿¿¿¿¿¿1956¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿180¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿4¿¿