Abstract: In the Song Dynasty,the commodity economy was developed,military and political affairs were busy,and centralization was strengthened,all of which put forward faster requirements for travel speed.Due to different circumstances,the speed of official travel in the Song Dynasty varied greatly.In terms of daily mileage,it can be roughly divided into high speed above 400 miles,fast speed above 200 miles,common speed above 100 miles,and low speed below 100 miles.During the Song Dynasty,it was common for officials and civilians to travel hundreds of miles per day,regardless of water or land routes.The fastest daily land travel was over 700 miles,while the waterway travel was over 400 miles.There are also records in terms of travel speed that are difficult to surpass among the people,with some traveling 380 miles in the middle of the night and others traveling 300 miles during the day and night.Due to the development of science and technology,such as compasses and shipborne timekeepers,maritime navigation has significantly increased in speed compared to the Tang Dynasty.

Key words: travel, speed, daily travel, people in the Song Dynasty