Wang Anshi's New Policies begin

1069

The Song reformer, recalled by Emperor Shenzong, launched a breathtaking program of state agricultural loans, currency regulation, civil service exams in practical matters, and militia reform. Traditional Confucians screamed. His twenty years of reforms would transform the Song state and split its elite permanently into factions. The conservative scholar Sima Guang became his fiercest opponent, and their rivalry defined Chinese politics for a generation.