Wang Anshi

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

[or Wang An-shih] (born 1021, Linchuan, Jiangsu province, China—died 1086, Jiangning, Jiangsu) Chinese poet and government reformer of the Song dynasty. His “New Policies” of 1069–76 sparked academic controversy that continued for centuries. He created a fund for agricultural loans to farmers to spare them the exorbitant demands of moneylenders; he also replaced corvée labour with a hired-service system financed by a graduated tax levied on all families. He enabled officials to purchase supplies at the cheapest price in the most convenient market. He established a village militia system ( baojia), reorganized the Hanlin Academy, and restructured the civil service examinations. Wang's reforms were unpopular, and he was forced to resign in 1074. He returned to government in 1075, but with less political power. After the emperor's death an antireform clique came to power and dismantled Wang's reforms by the time of his death shortly afterward. Fan Zhongyen.


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Alfreda Murck. Poetry and Painting in Song China: The Subtle Art of Dissent.(Book Review)
; ...author interweaves background concerning the New Policies of Wang Anshi (1021-1086), and the controversy they sparked, together with...1072 coinciding neatly with the recent implementation of Wang Anshi's policies, Murck goes beyond the now Read more
No going back, or, youthful bravado at the Baochan Mountain Cave.
; Wang Anshi's travelogue about the Baochan Mountain Cave is best known as a stern...the explorers were, and what they were doing there. The year was 1054. Wang Anshi [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (1021-1086)--who would later become Grand... Read more
Writer retells Song Dynasty chronicles
; ...far-reaching outcomes too. A case in point is the fierce political struggle between leading statesmen of the Song, the great reformer Wang Anshi (1020-86) and his political opponent Sima Guang (1018-86). History portrays both as great thinkers, literateurs, scholars... Read more
Exploring the world of medicinal flora
; ...garden shaded by a variety of trees, such as willows and planes, reminded me of a poem written by an ancient Chinese writer Wang Anshi (1021-86): His well-swept path under thatched eaves is clear of moss, The flowers and tress here are planted by his hand... Read more
Sino-US relations.
; ...should stand higher and see farther while dealing with Sino-US relations, the Chinese President said, quoting a poem from Wang Anshi, a well-known reformer in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Unafraid of floating clouds blocking eyesight, because you are at the... Read more
(book reviews)
; ...writes as a self-confident scholar at the end of a long and successful career who sees no need to use dry, fusty language. Wang Anshi's reforms were shot down ; Ming Hongwu was the civil and military CEO of the realm (97,130). He delivers tart opinions on... Read more
Jiang Confers with Gore on Principles Guiding Sino-US Ties (1)
; ...should stand higher and see farther while dealing with Sino-US relations," the Chinese President said, quoting a poem from Wang Anshi, a well-known reformer in Song Dynasty (960-1279), "Unafraid of floating clouds blocking eyesight, because you at the pinnacle... Read more
Yang Shuhui and Yang Yunqin, translators. Feng Menglong, compiler. Stories to Caution the World: A Ming Dynasty Collection, Volume 2.(Book review)
; ...number of well-known stories that have already been translated into English, tales such as those about the historical figures Wang Anshi (nos. 3 and 4), Li Bai (no. 9), and Judge Bao (no. 13), as well as celebrated stories with a Ming dynasty setting such as... Read more
Metamorphosis of the Private Sphere: Gardens and Objects in Tang-Song Poetry.(Book Review)
; ...mere cultural trade in objects. The fifth chapter brings in a different set of voices: those of the Confucian opponents to Wang Anshi's reforms who gathered in Luoyang. In particular, Yang looks at Sima Guang and Shao Yong, both of whom maintained gardens... Read more
Something to crow about
; ...Period (AD 220- 280) whose image, featuring a feather fan, is often seen in movies and TV series. Great poet and politician Wang Anshi (1021-1086) of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), "Chinese Shakespeare" Tang Xianzu (1550-1616), the most gifted playwright of the... Read more

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

Wang Anshi
Wang Anshi (1021–86) Chinese statesman, chief councillor to the SONG (1069–76). He introduced major financial and administrative... Read more
baojia
or pao-chia Chinese village militia system created by Wang Anshi as part of his reforms of 1069–76. Units of 10 families were regularly trained and supplied with arms, thereby reducing the... Read more
Fan Zhongyen
...born 989, Wu, Jiangsu province, China—died 1052, China) Chinese scholar-reformer whose reforms anticipated those of Wang Anshi . He attempted to abolish nepotism and corruption, reclaim unused land, equalize landholdings, create a strong local... Read more
Ch'eng Hao
...he formed the neo-Confucianism of the Sung dynasty. Both of them opposed the far-reaching reform programme of Wang An-shih (Wang Anshi) (1021–86): Ch'eng Hao was dismissed in 1080 and went into retirement in Lo-yang; Cheng Yi was not in... Read more
Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi
...from Chinese government service for opposing the reforms of Wang Anshi , and he joined his brother in Henan, where they gathered a...affairs. Cheng Hao's idealism was continued by Lu Xiangshan and Wang Yangming , and Cheng Yi's realism was developed by Zhu Xi... Read more

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