Northern Song

State · 961–1027 CE · at its largest around 980 CE

From Kaifeng, the bustling city later pictured in the scroll 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival', the Song were governed by scholars chosen through exams. Movable type, the magnetic compass at sea, gunpowder weapons and great landscape painting all flourished.

On its lands while it lasted

Co Loa Citadel (c. 256 BCE – c. 965 CE): Capital of Âu Lac (256 BCE–207 BCE), Ngô Dynasty (947–965).
Imperial examination system (605–1905 CE): The Sui formalised civil service examinations for selecting officials, a system that lasted until its abolition in 1905.
Hanlin Academy (738–1911 CE): Emperor Xuanzong of Tang founded the Hanlin Academy in Chang’an as a body of scholars who drafted imperial documents. Under later dynasties it became an elite institution of top examination graduates, lasting until 1911.
Song dynasty (960–1279 CE): Founded by Zhao Kuangyin with its capital at Kaifeng, the Song saw a commercial revolution, paper money and advances in printing and science.
Lin'an Prefecture (c. 961–1278 CE): Capital of Northern Song (961–1027), Southern Song (1028–1278).
Travellers among Mountains and Streams (c. 1000 CE): A towering hanging scroll in ink in which a mountain fills the sky above a tiny mule train. Painted by Fan Kuan in the early Song dynasty, it set the pattern for Chinese monumental landscape.
Jingdezhen (1004 CE): Town named for the Jingde era of the Song, whose kilns became the centre of Chinese porcelain production.
Thang Long (Hanoi) (1010 CE): Emperor Lý Thái To moved the capital of Dai Viet to Thang Long in 1010; the city is now Hanoi, capital of Vietnam.
Jiaozi paper money (1024 CE): The Song government took over the issue of jiaozi banknotes in Sichuan, the first government-issued paper money.