During the Sung dynasty, China certainly was one of the major and economically most powerful empires in the world. At the same time it was a leading maritime power in terms of international relations, commodity exchange, and technological progress, for example in the fields of naval and shipbuilding technology and in the production of highly manufactured goods, such as ceramics, which were internationally traded via maritime routes. The Sung dynasty marked a first and significant peak in the long period of expanding maritime relations from the tenth to fifteenth centuries. The decision of the Sung government to participate in maritime trade, and to use it as a source of income to finance its political and military goals, boosted China's position as a maritime power. In contrast to the T'ang rulers, the Sung government actively engaged in and promoted seaborne commerce, and used it as a source of income.