3. Eastern Empires 东方帝国 （公元11至12世纪）

Chinese civilization has had several peaks but the Song Dynasty was perhaps the greatest: Zhu Xi (pictured above) established Neo-Confucianism; printing, the compass and canal locks were developed; and Chinese painting reached its apex. Meanwhile, Islamic, Indian and Southeast Asian cultures produced great achievements, from Persian poetry and math to Angkor Wat and Jain temples. Meanwhile, Europe started climbing out of the Dark Ages with the first industry and monuments such as the great medieval cathedrals and castles.

中华文明历史上经历过多次繁荣，但宋朝也许是其中的巅峰：朱熹（上图人物）创立了新儒家学说（译者：应该是指朱熹理学）；活字印刷术、指南针和运河水闸（译者：这个我们国内很少宣传）得到了发展；中国绘画艺术也达到了顶峰。同时，伊斯兰、印度和东南亚文明取得了大量的成就，从波斯诗集和数学到吴哥窟和耆那寺庙。而此时，欧洲正在走出天主教和城堡统治下的中世纪黑暗时代。