"S" is For "Shenzong"

 

"S" is For "Shenzong"  

"Motherfu...I can't see my feet."

"Same."

"Same."

  Emperor Shenzong of Song 

Roy Chen of Dance

was the sixth emperor of China’s Song Dynasty.

    Born as a baby on May 25, 1048, he began his reign in 1067 and ruled until April 1, 1085 when he died of an unspecified illness.

"Which may or may not have been Chinese Monkey Pox."

Meanwhile, for some perspective...Europe in the 11th century...

    The Song Dynasty would last until the last few years of the 13^th century when it was replaced by the...oh, hell, that would mean even more research. His original personal name was Zhoa Zhongzhen, but he changed it to Zhoa Xu when he acceded to the throne.

    NOTE:  Yeah, like you, I don’t really know where “Shenzong” came from, either, but I’m pressing on.  But, in a pinch, the names he used both prior and during his rule would have been perfect for ‘X’ or ‘Z.’ So, there’s that.

    Anyway, whatever his name was, he was best known for supporting the programs of one of his councilors, Wang Anshi, in what was uncreatively called the “New Policy.”

"He said 'Wang'."

    These new policies concentrated on improving the lives of the peasant class and the unemployed.  As a result, each peasant was given a rock to make soup and the unemployed were given jobs collecting rocks.  Results were mixed.

    Shenzong was also motivated to expand Song territory, and solving fiscal, bureaucratic, and military problems throughout various reform programs.

"I'd also like to know where all the rocks went."

    He championed military incursions against Western Xia forces in the Qing prefecture (look at the map).  Initially, Song forces did quite well until they attempted to subdue the Xia city of Yongle in 1082.

Xixia.  Western Xia with a stutter.

    For various reasons (which I’m sure would be self-evident if I bothered to look them up), Song forces were rebuffed (after first being buffed) and they withdrew back to their territory.

    As a result, the Xia remained strong and would persist as a thorn in the side of the Song for years to come.

    Shenzong took the defeat quite seriously.  Scholars have pointed out that this pretty much destroyed his rule as he withdrew into seclusion and made paper origami ducks and watched Jackie Chan puppet shows.

    A broken man, he died (like I said above.  Kindly pay attention).

    Hopefully, he went to whatever kind of paradise he believed in because he went with a Song and a Prayer.