Daoist Origins, And The Southern Song Dynasty, The Medium-term Political - The Qingyuan Party Ban

Although the Neo-Confucianism, founded mainly by Cheng-Yi in midNorthern Song Dynasty, had made a very great development during the reign of Song-Xiaozong-~emperor(l 163--i 189) as influencing almost the whole country, going beyond other Schools, occupying a major position and spring out a lot of elites such as Zhu-Xi, Zhang-Shi, Lu-Zuqian and Lu-Jiuyuan, yet because of those Neo-Confucianist viewpoints not being in place with the emperor Xiaozong utilianrian politics, it was suppressed and limited by the rulers in being instead of being supported. As a result, this Neo-Confucianism could only be flourished in the folks and slacked in the bureaucrats.In this condition, the contradiction and conflict between those counter-NeoConfucianism bureaucrats and these Neo-Confucianism bureaucrats was destined. The former, who called on function, achievement, keen-witness and capability, held the political position. On the contrary, the latter, who advocated morality and empty-talk, didn hold office at court, always criticized the former sharply by commenting on their behaviors. Thus the former usually constricted and press the latter with their power.The school struggle between Neo-Confucianism and counter-NeoConfucianism took on a pattern as follow: With the expanding of its social influences ,it was inevitable for Neo-Confucianism to infiltrate the royal court. By the end of Xiaozong reign, Zhou-Bida and Wang-Huai were appointed the prime minister simultaneously, which indicated the Neo-Confucianism bureaucrats had formed an independent political power in the royal court, and had stepped into a new period in which they could act independently and defiantly and could counterattack their enemy. The struggles between the two gropes, with rise and fall alternatively, got warmer and warmer. Up to the Shaoxi period(1190--1194, the title of Emperor Guangzong reign), with Zhao-RuyuIIbeing appointed prime minister, the counter-Neo-Confucianism bureaucratswere at disadvantage. However, when suddenly Emperor Guangzong abdicatedand handed over the crown to his son,emperor Ningzong, which gave rise to thecontradiction between Zhao-Ruyu and Han-tuozhou, another bureaucrat, andimpelled the counter-Neo-Confucianism bureaucrats to work hand in glove withHan-Tuozhou, the grope of Neo-Confucianism bureaucrats, led by Zhao-Ruyu,were brought to an all-round collaPse, it at last bred another large-scale campaignin the history of the southern Song Dynasty----the Prohibition of Parties inQingyuan Period(l l 95-- 1200,the title of Ningzong emperor's reign).The Prohibition of Parties in Qingyuan Period, following the incident of Qin-Hui's confining Luoxue, came from the struggle between the school of Neo-Confucianism and counter-Neo-Confucianism, and was an outcome of the long-term political and academic struggle that connected closely and affected eachother in mid-Southern Song Dynasty.