There was a long period in which Buddhism and Daoism had been the most popular philosophies/religions in China, and many schools of thought grew from them. In the late Tang, many scholars began to study Confucianism, and in the Song periods “Neo-Confucianism,” began one of the most popular philosophies/religions in China and continued to grow in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing periods.

“Neo-Confucianism” is the revival of Confucianism during the Song dynasty and is a response to the challenges of Buddhist and Daoist philosophy. Confucian scholars mixed Buddhist and Daoist ideas in Confucianism in order to make a new Confucian ideology, “Neo-Confucianism.”

In addition to teaching proper behavior like Confucianism, Neo-Confucian scholars and officials discussed the relationship between human beings, between humans and nature, and humans and society. Neo-Confucius scholars also discussed the nature of human beings. These discussions allowed Neo-Confucianism to explore spiritual questions that had not been discussed in Confucianism before. Neo-Confucius scholars focused on self-examination and started to ask things like what made human beings do bad things? Were humans' basic nature good? Neo-Confucist scholars were encouraged to answer these specific issues instead of abstract studies.

Neo-Confucianism had a big effect on the Song Dynasty’s political structure, philosophical beliefs, and also civilians’ general behavior. The government used the civil service examinations to select scholar-officials who were very smart intellectuals who knew Confucianism well. The exams tested people's knowledge of "the classics" of Chinese literature and philosophy but were later replaced by a better and more organized set of books called “The Four Books” by Zhu Xi. These texts allowed more people to understand Confucianism, leading to a more Confucian society.

The Song is often seen as a time when the status of women declined. Compared to the Tang times, women were less active in politics and less commonly seen on the streets. Song Confucian teachers argued against widows remarrying, and footbinding began in Song times. On the other hand, women’s rights to property were relatively secure in Song times, and older women were often very powerful within their families.