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.
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