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Wang Anshi (102 1-1086) was a famous politician, writer, scholar and reformer in the Northern Song Dynasty. His name is always associated with "Wang Anshi's political reform", which is a major political and economic reform aimed at coping with the financial difficulties and social problems faced by the Northern Song Dynasty court.
Wang Anshi was born in a talented family in Jiangnan. He was famous for his literary achievements and promotion in his early years, but his real influence was reflected in his tenure as prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, that is, 1070 to 1077. After he became prime minister, he quickly launched a series of changes. The following is a description of some major aspects of Wang Anshi:
Reforming economic policy: The core of Wang Anshi's political reform is to reform economic policy and solve financial difficulties. He proposed to implement the young crop law, that is, to tax according to the harvest of the field, instead of the previous poll tax. This reform aims at reducing farmers' tax burden and improving agricultural productivity.
Advocating the examination for selecting officials: Wang Anshi advocates the imperial examination system, which ensures the ability through the examination for selecting officials, not according to family background or social status. This move has improved the quality of officials and expanded social mobility.
Literary and cultural contribution: Wang Anshi is also an outstanding writer and cultural person. His poetry and prose works are widely praised, and he advocates that literature should reflect social reality and people's life. His literary works are famous for their authenticity and emotional depth.
However, Wang Anshi's political reform also triggered a fierce political debate, which led to the "Jingkang War" between the Northern Song Dynasty and Jin Dynasty, and the regime of the Northern Song Dynasty was finally destroyed. Although Wang Anshi failed politically, his reform thought and legacy had a far-reaching impact on the history of China.
He is regarded as one of the representatives of China's reform thoughts during the regime change. He emphasized that the government should take active measures to improve people's lives, which had an important influence on China's reform thought.