元时期的中国开始了一个重大的从暖到冷的剧烈转折,中国由此从中世纪温暖期向小冰期的过渡,这次小冰期持续时间约600年,起于14世纪,讫于19世纪末。~①元明时期,江南仍处于小冰期气候的前半段。经历了南宋的一段温暖期以后,中东部地区进入到一个大规模的持续寒冷期,转折点在1260年前后。草原民族入侵,使宋代积累起来的财富与文化遭到了空前的破坏。1261-1320 During the Yuan Dynasty, China began a major transition from warm to cold. As a result, China transitioned from a period of warmth of the Middle Ages to a small ice age lasting about 600 years, beginning in the 14th century and ending in the late 19th century. ~ ① Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Jiangnan is still in the first half of the Little Ice Age. After a period of warmth of the Southern Song Dynasty, the central and eastern regions entered a large-scale period of persistent cold with a turning point around 1260. The invasions of grasslands and ethnic minorities caused unprecedented accumulation of wealth and culture in the Song Dynasty. 1261-1320