Rewriting and Adaptation
-- By Analyzing Chinese and English Texts on Wang Anshi
TASK ONE
An entry for an encyclopedia
Wang Anshi (December 8, 1021- May 21, 1086) is well known as one of the greatest literati, best known as a political reformer who was entirely focused on maintaining the stability of the Sony Dynasty(960-1279) and believed in that the lower class would benefit from his “New Policies”. However, Wang’s reforms constituted the core concepts and led the Conservative faction against it. Due to the hindrance of the Conservation force, the “New Policies” was ended in nothing and Wang Anshi stepped down. Wang Anshi was dismissed in 1076 and was recalled four years later; but he was forced out again and his son was dead in the same year. Wang Anshi backed his hometown and never took the chancellorship again.
Historical Background
Starting in 960 and ending in 1279, the Song China consisted the Northern Song and the Southern Song. This period was considered as another period of “Golden Age” after the glorious Tang Dynasty (618-907). However, in the late Northern Song, the political corruption was serious and the regime began to decline. Before the Emperor Shenzong, （For more information please check 宋神宗）the country suffered poverty as well as weakness.
After working as a local government official for nearly 20 years, Wang concluded that the unlimited annexation of land weakened the economy. In 1058 Wang Anshi traveled to the capital, Kaifeng, from his home province of Jiangxi to present what would be his most famous memorial to the Emperor Renzong (1023-1064)(For more information please check 宋仁宗 ). Wang’s “Ten Thousand Word Memorial” outlines his general political philosophy while giving a brief preview of the...
... middle of paper ...
...ourth among his peer when he was 21.
The required curriculum covered dynastic histories, poetry and the Confucian classics.
All those memory based knowledge are not
Wang was trying to reform the examination system in “New Policies”.
So he got rid of some of the subjects. and adapted more practical subjects, like emphasis on law medicine and military science, so that enabled people with practical skills into the government.
Even Wang Anshi advocated political reform and put forward the policy of enriching the country, building up the military power, and increase the national revenue, the old liners werestilt strongly opposed to the reform, throwing obstacles in its way.
Resigned in 1074, returned to civil service in 1075.
Wang Anshi retired in 1076, depressed by demotion and the death of his son.
He spent the final years of his life writing poetry.
There are little to no direct accounts of how individuals’ lives were a couple thousand years ago in Ancient China. With a wealth of information on the rise, decline, and fall of empires, Michael Loewe, a sinologist who specializes in oriental studies and theology, writes an imaginary story about a hero named Bing set around 70 BCE. Bing: From Farmer’s Son to Magistrate in Han China is Loewe’s fictional portrait of life during the Han Empire. It is by no means a comprehensive historical account of Han times, in fact, it was written with those readers who are not familiar with Chinese in mind, however through the life of Bing we can gage how the lives of laborers, those involved in military service, merchants, and government officials might
Zhao Ji was the eleventh son of Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty. Being so far down the line for succession to the empire, he spent his time devoting himself to his loves of literature, art, and Daoism; surrounding himself in luxury and sophistication. He built up and catalogued an extensive painting collection, Xuanhehuapu, with over 6,000 paintings. To date, no earlier collection, neither court or private, is known to have as much detail as Huizong’s because book length catalogues of his paintings, calligraphies and antiquities all survived (Ebrey, p.5). Huizong wanted to reform court music that had been degenerated during the Five Dynasties Period and was an avid believer in ruiying, Heaven’s way of communicating with the earth. He is thought of as the only accomplished artist in a line of emperors all who loved and appreciated the arts (Oxford Art Dictionary). It is his love of the arts, and his decisions to favor art and religion over politics that is associated with the fall of the Great Northern Song Dynasty, a dynasty that ruled from 960 until it was lost at the hand of Huizong in 1127.
Smarr, Janet. “Emperor Wu”. Making of the Modern World 12. Ledden Auditorium, La Jolla, CA. 17 Feb. 2012. Lecture.
The Song dynasty is actually divided into two separate periods: The Northern Song from 960-1126 A.D. and the Southern Song from 1126-1279 A.D. The northwestern part of the country had been taken over by the nomadic tribes, forcing the emperor move the capital to Kaifeng, then later to Hangzhou during the southern Song period. They also lost control of Tibet. (Duiker, & Spielvogel, 2009) While they struggled with territory control, the Song strived in economic development and cultural achievement.
China had a unique governing system called dynasties. A dynasty is a family who rules. Dynasties usually last many generations, though they can last less depending on who is leading. To prevent leaders from becoming corrupt, the Chinese created the dynastic cycle. When a new dynasty rules they are usually fair. That means they treat their people nicely and take care of their land. As dynasties get older, the emperors become more corrupt, greedy, and did not take care of their people or perform their duties. Once a dynasty became corrupt they would lose the Mandate of Heaven, which is essentially a blessing from god for the family to rule. After that, a new dynasty would claim the Mandate of Heaven and begin to rule. The Shang dynasty lasted from about 1766 B.C. to 1122 B.C. The Zhou dynasty ended in 770 B.C. The people from the early Chinese
Throughout the Tang and Song Dynasties, there was a plethora of growth and progress developed over time. The dynasties generated a “Golden Age” for China as a whole, creating the strongest and most advanced country during that era. There is close to an infinite amount of points to acknowledge about how the two dynasties compare and contrast. Broadly, most of the features developed through economics, social relations, politics, and culture. Together, both dynasties lasted around 300 years. While the Tang and Song Dynasties shared alike propositions economically, they had contrasting cultural and social ideals, but despite their differences displayed how all aspects aided and expanded the overall growth.
To begin with, the Song dynasty was known to be one of the greatest dynasties ever that improved China’s civilization significantly. This dynasty was a significantly period because even though they ruled for so little time, they did so much improvement on China. The Song Dynasty is considered to be part of the “medieval” era in China. There were great advances in science, technology, and education wise. This dynasty, came upon when the ruler Taizu dominated the part of Tang empire. There were two parts to the Song dynasty. The southern song and the northern song were the two sections.
Pu Yi, Henry, and Paul Kramer. The Last Manchu: The Autobiography of Henry Pu Yi, Last Emperor of China. 4th ed. New York: Skyhorse, 2010. Amazon.com. Amazon.com. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
The period of prosperity for the Song and Tang Dynasty had a lot of things in common and a lot of things that are not in common.the song dynasty started in 960 CE.The song dynasty took control after the tang fell. In the song dynasty they advanced in technology.the song dynasty was so busy on other stuff they didn't have enough time to work on their army. Because they didn't have a good army when their would be attacks it would be a big problem. Finally one day all of the song dynasty had been taken over by invaders.
The Song dynasty began in 960, It had to periods the northern and southern. This dynasty was known for their famous construction of gardens. As well a prosperous economy and radiant culture. The emperor Zhao Ji was a patron of the arts, collected different types of rocks and trees. He had a garden built in the principles of feng shui, also included an imitation mountain that was around 200 feet high. The Northern Song Empire fell to a rival clan 1126 and was forced to move to the south. Soon after established a new capital in Hangzhou, this is where the landscape became more gentle and lyrical, as represented in the poems and paintings of the period. The change of landscape was very influential in the gardens during this time. For example “Masters of Nets garden was constructed by shi zhengzshi a civil servant minister of the southern...
Taylor, Jay. The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 2009. Print.
The Zhou Dynasty rose to power in China in 1050 B.C.E. and was the longest ruling dynasty in its history. Though the Zhou Dynasty was never a wholly unified realm, it did manage to implement a single form of government throughout China. This can best be described as a decentralized feudal system run by relatives (to the king) and trusted vassals. Aristocracy and patrilineal family ties were important during the Zhou dynasty. Much of what is known about daily life during the Zhou dynasty was found in the Book of Songs-it offers a glimpse into daily life for people of various social standings. The rise to power of the Zhou Dynasty brought with it massive changes to both the government of China and its inhabitants’ way of life.
Qin Shihuangdi created the “first Chinese Empire a unified entity upon which he imposed an empire wide uniformity of law administered by a bureaucracy that was answerable to a central authority” (Overfield 98). The Qin Dynast...
Chapter 1: The Wan-Li Emperor, begins by explaining the major premise of the work: The concept of looking at a single year in the history of the leadership of China and evaluating the implications for understanding other aspects of history, including the decline of the Ming Dynasty. In this initial chapter, Huang provides an anecdotal history of some of the events that occurred, and includes within it a discussion of the set up of the leadership, the repercussions that occurred in the event of certain actions, including the prospects of an audience with the emperor. Huang reviews these issues as he considers that actions taken by the Wan-li emperor, who was only twenty-four in 1587 and who had been a veteran of ceremonial proceedings, and considers his history as an element of understanding the progression of leadership.
The book by Mark Elliot, Emperor Qianlong: Son of Heaven, Man of the World, reflects the important historical figure, Emperor Qianlong. During his reign between 1731-1795, there was a period of extremely rapid social, intellectual, demographic and environmental change. Elliot illustrates Qianlong complexity through this time of rapid expansion of social and environmental change, and it gives us as students of history an idea of what that time was like and how he as a person and as a powerful monarch handled this expansion.