This paper consists of a comprehensive review of the types and characteristics of the major pastimes of the literati of the Song Dynasty. The concept of the ‘pastime’ is a highly complex philosophical one. In this study, however, it is used only in relation to its common sense meaning in daily life. In other words, ‘pastime’ in this context refers to what one consistently spends money, time and energy on solely for pleasure and personal satisfaction, not for prudential benefits or purposes. From the time of the Song Dynasty, the literati began to indulge in leisure activities that would be considered pastimes today. The activity of collecting, appreciating and studying certain material items was called ‘Pi (癖)’. This study examines three categories of document―Pulu(譜錄), Tiba(題跋) and miscellanies(筆記)―in order to comprehensively review the types of pastime prevalent in the Song Dynasty, and thereby identify the following 9 types of items that were subjects of Pi: (1) Stationery items such as ink sticks and inkstones, (2) Paintings and calligraphies, (3) Rubbings of stone inscriptions (4) Antique objects, (5) Precious stones, (6) Guqin(古琴; Chinese lutes), (7) Incense(香), (8) Tea(茶) and (9) plants(花草). On the basis of this review, the paper demonstrates that Song pastimes shared three characteristics. First, the literati of the Song Dynasty were conspicuous in their pursuit of their preferences, in doing so signifying an unconventional understanding of Pi, as it stood in stark contrast with the perspective of preceding times when the collection of material items had been seen in a negative and undesirable light. Second, on the other hand the literati placed great emphasis on the knowledge and intellectual insights they gleaned from their Pi in order to distinguish their pastime from other ‘profane’ leisure pursuits. Third, the studies or libraries in which the literati enjoyed this pastime were not simply places in which they read books, but also sites of various cultural activities. To sum up, the literati of the Song Dynasty ostentatiously indulged in Pi, instead of refraining from or undervaluing it, and this constituted the uniqueness and elegance of their culture, and even their identity.