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pen seemed to fly over the paper. Some of his early writings attracted the attention of ^ ^ Ts6ng Eung, who showed them to Ou-yang Hsiu, by whom they were highly praised. Graduating as chin $Mh

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he was drafted into provincial employ and became Magistrate of the mi Yin District in Chehkiang, where he devoted himself to improving the embankments and generally bettering the condition of the people, for which he was recommended to the Throne by WSn Yen-po. In 1060 he was appointed to one of the highest offices in connection with the administration of justice, and was sabsequently invited to Court by the Emperor Ying Tsung, bat did not proceed. On the accession of the Emperor Sh£n Tsung in 1068 he became Prefect of Chiang-ning, and shortly afterwards was appointed Expositor in the Han-lin College. In 1069 he was appointed State Councillor. He became at once the confidential adviser of the Emperor, and entered upon a series of startling reforms, said to be based upon certain new and more correct interpretations of portions of the Classics, which have given him a unique position in the annals of China. The chief of these were: 0) J^ $£i ^* ^ system under which local produce was no longer to be forwarded to the capital for sale on behalf of the Imperial exchequer, possibly for much less than its market value and consequently at a loss to the forwarding locality. (2) ^ "^ ^. A system of State advances to cultivators of land on the security of growing crops. (3) fijc ^ ^ • ^ system of tithing for military purposes, under which every family having more than two males was bound to supply one to serve as a soldier. (4) ^ ^ |^. A system under which money payments were substituted for the old- fashioned forced labour. (5) T|i ^ j^* A. system under which depots for bartering and hypothecating goods and property were established all over the empire. (6) 'fijc <B| i^« A. system for guaranteeing a supply of cavalry-horses in case of need, every