WANG ANSHI


Meaning of WANG ANSHI in English

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 (see 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. See also Fan Zhongyen .

Britannica English dictionary.      Английский словарь Британика.