The Rise of Neo-Confucianism and the Xin-xue of Wang An-shi in the Mid-11th Century

From the second half of Tang to the early period of Song, a new trend emerged in Confucianism. Scholars did not settle for the unified interpretation prescribed by the state and attempted to interpret the scriptures independently. Neo-confucianism is an extension of this subjective interpretation of scriptures. From the late Tang period, some scholars began to show such new academic trends. When the Song period came, such a trend intensified. That trend led to Wang An-shi’s Xin-xue. Xin-xue attempted a full review of the existing scriptures study.Wang An-shi’s Xin-xue played a decisive role in the rise of Neo-confucianism. Xin-xue’s academic method was different from before. The discipline pursued the spirit of the old saint through scriptures. New scholars argued that they should not be buried in footnotes.Xin-xue, with this academic attitude, gave a fresh shock to the thought world of the Northern Song. With this, the study of the Northern Song entered a completely new stage. Xin-xue made the issues of virtue and philosophy a core problem of the study. After the second half of the 11th century, with the reform of Wang An-shi, Xin-xue made strides based on national support. After Wang An-shi took power, Xin-xue acquired the dominant position in the ideological world. At school, only Xin-xue was learned, and all aspiring bureaucratic selection tests honed Xin-xue.Xin-xue and Li-xue are the same academic trends that inherit the tradition of Neo-confucianism, but they showed significant differences from each other. Xin-xue believes in Zhou-li (『周禮』) and aims for a centralized politics with the emperor as the peak. On the other hand, Li-xue advocated a strict social order by advocating the loyalty of Chun-qiu (『春秋』). The study aimed for the autonomy of villages centered on intellectuals based on Chun-qiu. On the other hand, Wang An-shi took a very critical attitude toward Chun-qiu itself. Another difference resulted in whether to allow the village’s autonomy. Li-xue aimed to establish a moral order in the hometown. On the other hand, Wang An-shi’s Xin-xue took a strong centralization and achievement-oriented theory.