Wang Anshi's Chronology in Three Forms: A Collection of Chronologies

Author: Zhan Dahe
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-28
Features: Wang Anshi (1021—1086), styled Jiafu, was a native of Linchuan, Jiangxi. He came from a middle and lower-level official family. At the age of, he took the responsibility of the entire nation upon himself. At the age of twenty-two (in the third year of the Qingli era), he passed the imperial examination and served as a local official, such as the judge of Huainan and the magistrate of Yinxian, where he paid close attention to the hardships of the people and repeatedly submitted memorials to higher officials, proposing measures to promote benefits and eliminate evils to alleviate the people's suffering. In the third year of the Jiayou era, he was transferred from the post of governor of Changzhou to the position of inspector of criminal cases in Jiangdong, submitting the "Memorial to Emperor Renzong on Matters of State," commonly known as the "Ten Thousand Word Memorial," which advocated establishing the "legal system" of the Song Dynasty, effectively emulating the spirit of the "policies of the former kings" to reform the current political situation. In the fifth year of the Jiayou era, he entered the court as the judge of the Ministry of Revenue of the Three Departments. In the second year of the Xining era, Emperor Shenzong specially appointed him as Vice Premier (Zhanchengshi), from which point he actively promoted the New Policies. However, due to the constant opposition of the old faction, he was dismissed from his post multiple times and reinstated multiple times before retiring to Jiangning. In the eighth year of the Yuanfeng era, the old faction's Sima Guang became Premier and completely abolished the New Policies. Wang Anshi, out of grief and frustration, fell ill and died the following year at the age of sixty-six. Throughout his life, Wang Anshi struggled to realize his political ideals, closely linking his literary creation with political activities. He opposed the Xikun faction of scholars who "Yang Liu's literary style influenced the contemporary world," pointing out that at the time, "scholars were confused about the origins, wasting their days imitating them, with powdered and painted, tangled and cumbersome, lacking the order of literary patterns" (in the preface to Zhang Xun's poems). He believed that "literature is meant to be of practical use to the world"; "what is called rhetoric is like carving and painting on utensils," and "the essence is to prioritize applicability" (in the letter to the person). It was precisely because Wang Anshi held the literary creation concept of "applicability" that his poems and prose were deeply colored with political themes, serving directly as tools for his political struggles. The three chronologies in this book are:
1. The Chronology of Wang Jingong, compiled by Zhan Dahe and Zhen Lao of the Song Dynasty.
2. The Chronology of Wang Jingong with Supplementary Stories, written by Gu Donggao of the Qing Dynasty, in three volumes (upper, middle, and lower), with one volume of supplementary stories.
3. The Brief Examination of the Chronology of Wang Jingong, written by Cai Shangxiang of the Qing Dynasty.