True Crime-Paranormal-Conspiracy Theories Stories Part V #Wattys2023

Crow Terrace Poetry Trial

Wang Anshi's New Policies: initialimplementation

Much of Wang Anshi's New Policies hadto do with fiscal issues. Shenzong's support of them had much to dowith the aspiration to expand the imperial sway beyond the currentborders. For this, much cash would need to be forthcoming. Picturedhere is the obverse and reverse of a Tian Xi Tong Bao (1017–1022)coin, typical for much of Chinese history. The holes could be used tostring coins together into convenient groups. Song dynasty monetarypolicies also included experimentation with paper notes.

Although theoretically, the emperor wasthe final and absolute authority in Chinese politics during the Songdynasty, in actuality many factors importantly affected events: theseincluded other politically influential persons such as the emperor'sin-laws and other relatives and also party politics. Party politicaldivision at the time was severe: Wang Anshi led a group of"reformists", also known as the "New Policyparty", whose ideas were perhaps ahead of their time. Su Shiwas part of the politically-opposed "conservative"group, later known as the "Yuanyou party", after theera-name during which they had exercised most power. Wang Anshi's NewPolicies had their ups-and-downs in imperial favor, but initially hewas able to sweep the political field of oppositional voices. SimaGuang, the main oppositional leader retired to Luoyang, as didvarious others in his faction. Su Shi's patron Ouyang Xiu (1007 –1072) was demoted, exiled, and eventually permitted to retire. Su Shiwas not identified as a main leader of the opposition party and wasexiled as governor of Hangzhou, which in itself was not the worstplace to be sent, or the worst position for someone pursuing a careerin politics, but it forbade his appearance at court, andconsequentially denied him direct influence or interaction with theimperial government, at the national level.

Hangzhou: life and poetry in exile

Su Shi's political vulnerability hadbeen increased by a prior conviction, which resulted in his firstsentence to exile, before the Crow Terrace incident. His first exilewas relatively mild: it was as governor of Hangzhou, on beautifulWest Lake, where the poet Bai Juyi had previously governed, a citywhich would later become the capital of the Song dynasty after thefall of Kaifeng to invasion (much after Su Shi's lifetime). Su Shiobtained a small farm-hold, here, which he worked while fulfillinghis service as a local official. As governor of Hangzhou, Su Shiemployed more than 200,000 workers in environmental works to dredgemud and sediment out of West Lake, thus preserving it from silting upand no longer being a lake, as it was in danger of doing so. Thedredged material was used to build a causeway (just as the poet BaiJuyi had done similarly, in similar circumstance, back in the Tangdynasty era). Su Shi's works helped endear him to the localpopulation. Su Shi's sobriquet "Dongpo" derives fromthis period of exile to the "Eastern Slope", referring tothe location of his farm. An anthology of Su Shi's poetry from hisHangzhou era came into circulation, collected and published by hisfriends (Murck, 48). David Hinton (364) describes this first exile inHangzhou as the time when he "consolidatedhis mature poetics".

New Policy: continuation withoutWang Anshi

While Su Shi concentrated on making thelives of the local people in his charge better, and pursued hispoetry which his position allowed time for, Wang Anshi's policieswent awry. Were they bad policies, or were they badly implemented, orwere climatic changes leading to drought and poor harvests to blame?These are all serious questions, important to historians of the time,and nowhere near to being definitively answered; but, they are rathersubject of great scholarly debate. What is certain is that Su Shi wasexiled until emperor Shenzong became somewhat disillusioned with WangAnshi (the powerful empress dowager had never been much of a fan ofhis). The Kaifeng merchants were becoming angry at the priceinflation of wholesale goods together with additional tax increasesand imposition of fees; and in north of the country a major droughtfollowed by horrible famine occurred in 1074, displacing thousands ofrefugees (Murck, 37-38). In late 1075, this was followed by aspectacular comet, traditionally viewed as a sign of great changes onearth, if not portending the fall of dynasties (Murck, 48) Theseevents helped to lead Wang Anshi into a relatively gentle exile, andto lead to the restoration of Su Shi and other banished officials topositions of power and respect, aided by empress dowager Cao.However, this was just the warm-up to a bitter and deadly politicalstruggle between the two factions in the ensuing years: now bothgroups had had their ranks decimated, and all sorts of charges ofcriminal impropriety were our would be filed. Ouyang Xiu had evenalready been charged with incest, and placed in early retirement: thebattle lines drawn, and Su Shi would soon be charged with treason tothe state.