Song
Cities & Technology
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Song · Cities & Technology
Beating Charcoal into Cakes: A Winter Trade in Song Cities
Kaifeng began winter with charcoal for the braziers and five days' warning of vegetables. By Hangzhou the trade was called “beating charcoal cakes,” listed among small trades found nowhere else. No price, no recipe.
Song · Cities & Technology
Where the Lanterns Came From: Craft and Trade in Song China
A Song lantern began as a craft: the 'boneless' lantern used a silk bag packed with millet as its mould. Suzhou, Fuzhou and Xin'an ranked the trade, and every city had a lantern market.
Song · Cities & Technology
Who Put Out the Fires in Song China?
In Song China firefighting was a standing military duty: five soldiers to every three hundred paces, brick watchtowers, and flags and lamps that told the whole city where the fire was.