Why did Song Dynasty officials have more business trips? Isn't it cool?

That's because officials in the Song Dynasty changed frequently, officials were highly mobile, and they often had to work in different places, so it seemed that there were more opportunities for business trips. This frequent change of officials is a major feature of the Song Dynasty, but also a drawback of the Song Dynasty.

In the Song Dynasty, the imperial court recruited more officials who passed the examination every year, and the capital city could not accommodate so many officials. The imperial court had to assign these officials to the following places, and these officials are usually married and have children, so officials often "travel at public expense". In ancient times, transportation was underdeveloped, and it might take several months from Beijing to the place of employment. Generally speaking, it is by boat or carriage. This kind of travel is more attractive, so it is more obvious that officials always play outside.

Moreover, in the Song Dynasty, in order to weaken local power and prevent local officials from occupying land as kings, the emperor shortened the term of office of local officials, and generally changed local officials in two or three years, which increased the mobility of officials. In other dynasties, a local official, if there is no accident, may have to be an official in that place for life and settle down there unless you are promoted or removed.

In the Song Dynasty, apart from changing officials frequently, the way the imperial court assessed officials was also the reason why officials were often on the road. In other dynasties, the assessment of local officials was generally in the form of documents, but in the Song Dynasty, you had to have an interview, and you had to report your work results directly to Beijing, otherwise you would fail the assessment. Although this did strengthen the central government's control over local governments, it was still expensive, so by the end of the Song Dynasty, this drawback was undoubtedly exposed, which indirectly accelerated the demise of the Song Dynasty.