During Zhao Kuangyin's reign, he learned the lesson that the eunuch's autocracy and separatist regime in Tang Dynasty led to his demise, and cut off the power of the military attache, so as to emphasize literature over martial arts and strengthen centralization, so that the problem of eunuch's autocracy and separatist regime did not exist in Song Dynasty.
He strongly advocated Confucianism and increased the number of imperial examinations. Therefore, compared with other dynasties, the society in Song Dynasty was more stable and fair, and literature, philosophy, art, science and technology, education and so on were more developed.