Where did the Song dynasty relocate its court after losing the north, and what was the new capital?

• A. Southern Song; Hangzhou as capital
• B. Western Song; Xi'an as capital
• C. Northern Song kept capital in Kaifeng
• D. Southern Song; Nanjing as capital

Answer: (B)

When the Song dynasty lost the north to the Jin, the ruling court moved south and established a new capital at Lin’an, which is today’s Hangzhou. This shift marks the transition from Northern Song to Southern Song, with the southern regime governing from the Yangtze River basin and developing Lin’an into a thriving capital. Xi’an was associated with earlier eras and other dynasties, Kaifeng remained the northern capital before the retreat, and Nanjing did not serve as the Song capital. So the best understanding is that the Song relocated to the south, naming Lin’an (Hangzhou) as the capital.