In the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, the economy of South Yangtze River Region developed continuously. In Five Dynasties Period, Qianliu was crowned as the King of Wuyue Kingdom in Lin'an. Later, with the political and economic center moving southwards, Zhejiang became the richest province of the feudal China. Thanks to the development of economy and politics, science and art thrived. 

As for academic studies & ideology, the noted monk Zhi Zhuan of Sui Dynasty from Tiantai Guoqing Temple syncretized the characteristics of the southern & northern Buddhism to build up a new sect (one of the six main sects of Buddhism in China), namely Tiantai Zen. In Southern & Northern Song dynasties (960-1127, 1127-1729), Zhejiang School of Thought became one of the most important branches of learning then. Contrary to the Confucian school of idealist philosophy represented by Chen Yi and Zhu Xi, Cheng Liang from Yongkang and Ye Shi from Yongjia advocated the utilitarian theory. In their opinions, rules should be pertinent enough to be applied to a particular situation. It was typical of Eastern Zhejiang School in the Southern Song Dynasty. One of the Three Worthy Persons in Southeast (Lu Zuqian, Zhu Xi and Zhang Shi), the Southern Song scholar Lu Zuqian initiated the Lu School (also called Wu School) which used to be the central thoughts of the Eastern Zhejiang School, and enjoyed high reputations in Chinese cultural history. 

As for science and technology, the eastern Zhejiang architect Yu Hao of Northern Song dynasty was famous for the design of wooden pagodas and multi-floor buildings. His work Wood Scripture is the nation's earliest monograph on wooden structure buildings of the ancient times. Invented by Bi Sheng, a worker in a Northern Song publishing house of Hangzhou City, the movable-type printing technology is an important revolution in the world's printing history. From then on, the printing industry began to prevail in Hangzhou. Half of the official publication Supervision Copy of Song Dynasty was printed in Hangzhou. The books were marvelous with carving, printing, mounting and engraving patterns. In Hangzhou during the Northern Song Dynasty, the famous scientist Shen Kuo was so versatile that he wrote the book Sketchbook of Dream Brook that has been regarded not only as a confluence of science but also a priceless historical file. 

From the early Tang Dynasty on, there was a multitude of scholars, calligraphers and artists of Zhejiang origin. According to historical records, there were altogether 867 poets engaged in writing Ci poems, among whom 216 poets (nearly a quarter) were from Zhejiang province. There were such great poets of Tang and Song dynasties as Luo Binwang, Meng Jiao, Qian Qi, Zhang Xian and Lu You whose poems had great influence on the development of Chinese poetry. During the Northern & Southern Song dynasties, Zhejiang was also the birthplace of Chinese drama. There were many Za-Ju performances (a kind of comical performance in the Song Dynasty, which evolved into a poetic drama in the Yuan Dynasty, consisting of four acts and occasionally a prelude before the first act or an interlude between acts, with each act comprising northern opera melodies of the same tune and rhythm and spoken parts; and the poetic drama in the Ming and Qing dynasties, which was not limited to only four acts ) in Hangzhou when it was the capital of Southern Song Dynasty. It was in Wenzhou that the fully-developed drama form of China's Xiwen appeared.

 Zhao Mengfu, Washing The Horses

In the Tang Dynasty, the painter Sun Wei was the most influential artist whose skills used in The Leisurely and the works of pines and bamboos influenced the later artists. There were famous calligraphers like Yu Shinan, Zhu Suiliang, Sun Guoting, He Zhizhang and Xu Hao who won high praises for their works and characters alike. In Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou set up a painting academy for the exchanges of the painters so that Zhejiang became the center of the fine art circle of the country. Three of the so-called Four Great Masters of Southern Song Dynasty, namely, Liu Songnian, Ma Yuan and Xia Gui were Zhejiang natives. 
    As for industrial art, the craftsmen pursued light, natural and individual-oriented styles. These styles were the fashion of the Song Culture that made Hangzhou its center. Their concept naturally worked into the productions like porcelain, lacquer, printing, smelting, and architecture, and stamped them with distinct regional characteristics. The products, such as Hangzhou silk, Wenzhou lacquers, Chuzhou porcelains and Mingzhou straw mats, were important export goods then. The bronze foundry industry of Yuezhou, Taizhou and Wenzhou had always been the most highly developed ever since Tang and Song Dynasties. The bronze wares made with the refined craftsmanship were light and durable. The porcelain products were very delicate then among which the sculpture porcelain from Tang Dynasty's Yue Kilns and the celadon from Song Dynasty's Longquan County were the outstanding representatives that marked the two important development levels of the Chinese celadon. Besides, the products of the Southern Song Royal Kiln, with their unique figures, were the origin of the worldĄŻs broken-veins vitreous enamels and enjoyed an important position in Chinese pottery & porcelain history. 
    In addition to the above-mentioned achievements, during the Tang & Song dynasties, the silk culture, wine culture and tea culture also stepped into a flourishing era in Zhejiang Province. 

Zhao Mengfu, Arhat in Red Clothes