Wang Anshi, a hands-on politician yet an idealistI remember the first time I came upon Wang Anshi from Lin Yutang’s “Biography of Su Dongpo.” Since Lin was once a moderate activist back in his time when his contemporaries took the revolutionary mainstream to “cure” the nation, we definitely need a thorough surgery; Wang was cast as an opponent against Su, who holds an aggressive political orientation. In their opinion, modification/fix-up instead was seen as just a coward’s behavior.

Basically, we Chinese had been under exogenous threat for the whole modernization; for certainty, at that time, domestic social theorists apparently had, at large, adopted such a controversial frame. I know the scholarly critique around the victim frame in Chinese political discourse. There is nothing about right or wrong; my purpose is never about judging the two contradicting ideas. When I was a teen, particularly since my worldviews were still developing, I once became bored with mainstream conversation and blindly pursued the side branch since it was unique, exotic, and it made me seem cool among my peers.

Yeah, I would not dare to say that I was a snob when I was a shallow-minded middle school kid. I thus bought Lin’s concept without giving it any second thought.Lin’s biased writing made me initially find Wang not worth respect.

Though it is very strange, the turning moment is comparable to reverse psychology. Su might be a distinguished and well-respected poet and essayist, but he was not as morally flawless as Lin’s discriminating portrayal. Instead, Wang was more like a morally intact politician in history. Personally, he did not lead a lavish life as a strong administrator, unlike his same-day colleagues with great delight. His only sexual partner was his wife, Madam Wu. He even pushed his daughter-in-law to divorce his son, who failed to follow Confucian standards. The sole stain on his character might be his untidiness. It is reported that he detests frequent physical cleansing; even the emperor, Song Shenzong, cannot endure spending the same room with Wang for an extended duration. On the contrary, amorous Su was not the Junzi (a Confucian ideal person with attributes such as intelligence, integrity, and courage) I previously envisioned. Su, just as in his works, did not refine his spirit in the guidance of Confucianism featuring moral pondering, but rather, his proximity to his nature, or in other words, “flow with my mind.”

But the amusing fact is in contradiction to our immediate assumption; in historical documents, Wang has long been considered the first head of the “New Party,” a phrase that denotes one political sect that strives for reform in the Song Dynasty. How can a conservative, watchful statesman, considering his personal actions, turn out to be a strong-minded game-changer in macro-politics?

Wang is remembered for his revolutionary declaration, “It is no need to worry about heavenly mandate; it is no need to trace behind ancestors; it is no need to care about public censure.” I felt stunned and speechless when I first heard the remarks. It basically undermines the long-lasting governance standards underlying ancient Chinese authorities.

I have no notion what brews Wang’s prepositions. But I was at first seduced by his daring, the determination to confront the academic authority that he had learned since his early days. However, when I go into Kong Zi’s original texts, I sense the resonating beat in both Kong’s and Wang’s arguments, albeit Kong largely pushes for the revival of the old system. They do not dare to touch the dark side of people’s brains, but they nonetheless envisage a whole new universe; they both insert timely concerns into their writings, which makes them eye on reality instead of spirituality. Wang’s courage lies in that one might easily realize the real-life problem and get critical of the phenomenon. but few had ever pondered resolutions; Wang was one of the minority. He tried his best at least. Wang Anshi’s New Policies were a series of economic, military, and administrative reforms aimed at strengthening the Song Dynasty’s central government, reducing corruption, alleviating peasant hardship, and promoting economic development. But I still want to leave room for your evaluation of Wang.

Sadly, his followers turned his thoughts into instruments for fame and finance in his name. There is no way to see what he would feel when his spirit witnessed the fall of the Song Empire in heaven. rest in peace.Personally, I would rather see Song’s failure as the first time that Chinese civilization lost the chance to enter modernity. I will elaborate on it in later essays.