Person
Fan Zhongyan
Fan Zhongyan was a statesman, writer, scholar and reformer of the Northern Song dynasty in China. Born in Wu County, he passed the imperial examination as a jinshi in 1015 and served in regional posts and at court for over two decades, building a 150 kilometre coastal dyke and reorganising the defence of Shaanxi against the Tangut leader Li Yuanhao from 1040. As vice chancellor under Emperor Renzong he led the Qingli reforms, proposed with Fu Bi in 1043 and rescinded in 1045, which later inspired Wang Anshi. His essay 'On Yueyang Tower' (1046) holds his often-quoted ideal that scholar-officials should be the first to worry the worries of all-under-Heaven and the last to enjoy its joys.
See also
Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Fan Zhongyan. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/fan-zhongyan
- MLA
- “Fan Zhongyan.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/fan-zhongyan. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Fan Zhongyan.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/fan-zhongyan.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Fan Zhongyan’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/fan-zhongyan (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻