Voice of the Empire- Huizong's Art

There has been a great increase in painting as the new emperor Huizong has taken the throne. Huizong considers himself an art connoisseur, gathering artists and poets from around China. By doing this he hopes to "improve the culture of China."
Many artists are drawing several different kinds of paintings including: figure painting, which are images of Confucians; landscape paintings, which almost always involve nature presented simply and beautifully; bird-and-flower, which focuses on plants such as bamboo; and ink paintings, which try to capture the "essence" of the subject by using minimal brush strokes. Every category has its own masters who each have their particular art styles. Many of the finer works have been assembled in the imperial palace for royalty to enjoy.
Furthermore, he himself has taken up painting. When he is not creating pictures, he likes to study the greats at work (literally) behind their backs. Many of his personal guards have often overheard him saying "interesting bird... Good job capturing the background and detail of the grove."
This huge investment in the arts has lead to the expansion of poets and artists all over the country. The Sung's attention has always been towards the arts. Now, thanks to Huizong, it has been taken to a whole new level.

Voice of the Empire- Neo-Confucianism

Today we have witnessed a very dramatic change: Our "official" state religion has been reverted yet again. "Neo-Confucianism" has risen.
A scholar named Chu Hsi has "long been calling for a new system of beliefs". He does not emphasize the importance of gods or various deities; rather, his new ideas incorporate several other beliefs. Buddhism, as well as others, are largely incorporated with Confucianism. "I do not care about this god or that one. I care about morality and ethics. If it takes religion to get people to behave well, so be it. Good is not justified".
The emperor Taizong likes Chu Hsi's ideas- he has made Neo-Confucianism the state belief at least. He believes that to keep an empire from crumbling apart you must unify the people under one faith. Neo-Confucianism would (in his eyes) offer a base from which to start. It sees life as an opportunity to become "pure" in spirit. "Such an ideology would encourage people not to do evil, and to consider the consequences of their actions", Taizong said as he issued the decree, "My goal is to attain peace and harmony within the empire. Neo-Confucianism is the way to do it."

Voice of the Empire- Use of Gunpowder

Boom! Phissshhhh! Boom! This past New Year has been quite an occasion. Festivities have been much livelier this year than most thanks to gunpowder.
Gunpowder is a concoction that was invented around 公元850, but was considered too dangerous for everyday use. It consisted of saltpetre, sulphur and charcoal when it was first made (by accident!) by Daoist monks. They recorded the recipe but also added a warning against misuse.
Forgotten up until now, gunpowder is now being put into firecrackers and other noise-creating objects. Rumor has it that the noise alone is enough to drive off even the hardiest of evil spirits.
Yet this little mixture has a dark side; chemists employed by the emperor are using gunpowder to create weapons that the world has never seen before such as rockets, bombs, and even missiles. To top it off, a so-called "thunder-clap bomb" is being developed, which could turn out to be the single most powerful weapon in our arsenal.
Any way you put it, this powder has a lot of potential; where it will take us is unknown.

Voice of the Empire------ Bibliography

Books:
Sherman, Joseph, "Your Travel Guide to Ancient China" 2009, Lerner Publications, Minnesota
The "Northern Song" Packet

Websites:

Http:// faculty.washington.edu/mKalton/NeoConfucianism.htm.Neo-Confucianism

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Song_Taizu.jpg/540px-Song_Taizu.jpg

http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/general-science-technology/when-where-was-gunpowder-invented
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Song_Taizu.jpg
http://www.art-virtue.com/painting/history/sung/HuiZong/huizong-portrait.jpg
http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/images/fire.gif
http://www.schillerinstitute.org/graphics/photos/hist_other/chu_hsi.jpg
http://nakhodka-discovery.com/images/fr_jurchens1.jpg
http://www.absolutechinatours.com/UploadFiles/ImageBase/Wang_Anshi.jpg

Voice of the Empire- Wang Anshi

Wang Anshi, who up until now was a political reformer that nobody knew, has recently presented a set of "New Laws". However, this radical man has lately gained the full support and backing of Emperor Shenzong, who approves of his ideas about having the government care for the lower class.
This is a man who at a very young age passed all of the civil service exams and became Jinshi at age 21. Later on, he went on to become a governor of a prosperous town on the Yangzi River. Here he set up loaning programs for poor farmers, and grain warehouses to store grain in times of need. These new reforms were very successful.
Wang Anshi's "New Laws" are based on the success of his former reforms. They include (but are not limited to) taxing people according to their wealth, having the government give needy farmers loans with a low rate of interest, and establishing local militias which would be rotated regularly.
In a statement released by Wang Anshi himself, he wants to "Look out for my fellow man. I don't care if he is rich or poor, a noble or a peasant. We are men! Men together help one another". Some of these "News Laws" have drawn much criticism from people such as Su Dongpo, a high-ranking official and poet. He says "Reform is not an option. We are at peace now, our economy is strong, and most importantly, men know their place." Su Dongpu has recently called out on Wang Anhsi, saying that his laws defied Confucious, and that any such action would lead to chaos and disunity.
Whatever happens to these laws remains to be seen. We do not know for certain how many (if any at all) will be implemented in our day-to-day life.

Voice of the Empire-Huizong's Alliance

Huizong Forms an Alliance


Today, our wise Emperor Huizong has made the right choice: he has sided with the Jurchens!
This is a tried-and-true path. It has worked before and it will work again. However, critics are crying about this supposed “great mistake”. They say that His Majesty should pay more attention to historical events. Why not?! It will only solidify the Emperor’s reasons for such a move.
Knowing your weakness is better than knowing your enemy’s. This Empire, although it has been great and mighty, has never had an outstanding military. Zhenzong, one of the first emperors of this dynasty, paid off the Khitan, a group of nomads living to the north. We had the wealth! Why shouldn’t we?! If we do attack and defeat the Khitan, we would only be paying a small tribute to the Jurchens, a group of horsemen to the north. Critics might argue that any more spending would be 可怕 (horrendous), especially at this price. “Why climb into a wine bottle?” Asks Lo Yun, a top court official, “We are already in ruins because of this Huizong's spending on art. This tribute would destroy our economy, and leave US to the mercy of the Jurchens. Even more so if the Jurchens want more and more." Others are more radical- they want to rally our forces and withstand an attack from the Jurchens. However, this tribute is paying for our immunity. If you cannot beat them, join them.

Second, since the Jurchens are already being paid a small tribute in silk and gold (and will be paid more), why would they benefit form attacking us? We alone can make silk, and our coffers are not yet empty. On the other hand, if we work together and defeat the Liao, Huizong promises not to expand our borders. The Jurchens could then settle and populate the conquered land. Unless the Jurchens are stupid (which they are not), they would not turn around and attack us.

This is an excellent move, one worthy of much praise. It will be mutually helpful to both the Jurchens and to us.

Voice of the Empire- The Dawn of a Dynasty

February 17, 3597/3657 (960 A.D.)

Yesterday, Zhao Kingpin invaded the city of Kaifeng with his troops to seize power over the empire. This marks the beginning of the “Sung” dynasty. Although these have been turbulent times, Zhao, a former warrior who is now a general, promises that “I will rule… and heaven shall smile.”
Within hours of his marching into the imperial palace, Zhao has already claimed the throne for himself. His arrival means another unification of China under imperial rule. However, there remain several “rebellious” states. When asked about it, one of Zhao’s top advisors said, “We do not want this. These states must be brought under control. Otherwise, peace will not be attained. Zhao plans to do this through negotiations. Nobody wants bloodshed. Especially not Zhao.”
Looking back at the history books, this has been quite an unusual change in power. No lives have been lost. Though there is no official ruling family, the ones that were found in Kaifeng are being treated very fairly. None have been exiled or executed. This takeover has been strictly political.
Some of Zhao’s most loyal supporters have reported that the only reason that he is in the position of control is because of the generals that were unhappy with the recent warring states. They wanted power, so they helped Zhao. Now there are rumors circulating of him planning to depose of his (potential) enemies. How he plans to do this is unknown.
The mood in Kaifeng today is quite normal. There is no rioting, looting, robbery. Life goes on for the residents as though nothing has happened. When a peasant was asked about this new leader, he was dumb-founded. He new nothing of the takeover, as did most of the people in the countryside. For those who heard though, they are undisturbed. Ching Xi (a wheat farmer) had this to say: “Me? I care not about this emperor. I care that thieves do not rob me and that I pay less taxes. If this happens, I will be content.” Still, others are ecstatic. These are people who are “sick of the endless and pointless fighting.” They are glad that they are united once more.

However, Zhao is not without critics- many influential people oppose him. They question his credentials, asking “Why not us?” In response, Zhao released a document stating his military history, record, and awards. In the event that his personal life is questioned, Zhao is prepared to be “perfectly honest and outright” in his answers.