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'Emperor Shenzong' (May 25, 1048 – April 1, 1085) was the sixth emperor of Song Dynasty China. His personal name was 'Zhao Xu'. He reigned from 1067 to 1085.
The periods within his reign are Xining (熙寧; ''xi1 ning2'') 1068-1077 and
Yuanfeng (元豐; ''yuan2 feng1'') 1078-1085.
During his reign, Shenzong noticed Wang Anshi's policy and appointed Wang as Chancellor. Wang implemented his famous reforms aimed at improving the lot of the peasantry and unemployed, which some have seen as a forerunner of the modern welfare state. These acts became the hallmark reform of Shenzong's reign.
Shenzong's other notable act as emperor included his attempts to rid the Song empire of the Tangut Empire by invading and expelling the Xixia forces in Qingzhou (today's Gansu). Shenzong was initially quite successful at these campaigns but during the City of Yongle battle of 1082, Shenzong's forces were defeated. As a result, the Xixia forces grew more powerful and would be a thorn on the side of the Song dynasty in the ensuing decades.
In 1080 he renamed Puji Temple on the island of Putuoshan in Zhejiang province from 不肯去观音院 to 宝陀观音寺, and donated lands to support it.
Shenzong died in 1085 and was succeeded by his son. He was 36. His temple name means "Divine Ancestor".

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See also

See also

★ Wang Anshi

★ Shen Kuo

★ List of Song Emperors

★ Architecture of the Song Dynasty

★ Culture of the Song Dynasty

★ Economy of the Song Dynasty

★ History of the Song Dynasty

★ Society of the Song Dynasty

★ Technology of the Song Dynasty