Wang Dan

Wang Dan ( 957 – 6 October 1017), courtesy name Ziming, was a major politician in the Song dynasty, serving as the grand councilor from 1006 until shortly before his death in 1017. Well trusted by Emperor Zhenzong, Wang Dan was given plenipotentiary authority over some matters after 1008.

Wang Dan is generally remembered as a faithful and virtuous official, mainly because he kept a low profile, recruited talented men to the bureaucracy while blocking his notoriously unscrupulous colleague Wang Qinruo from advancing for most of his tenure. But Wang Dan also flattered and encouraged Emperor Zhenzong's excessive and ridiculous Taoist pursuits, for which he expressed regret on his deathbed.

Early life Wang Dan was born in 957 or January 958 during the Later Zhou, possibly in Wei County or Nanle County, where his father Wang You served as a county magistrate during that period. His ancestral home was Shen County. When he was 3 years old, the Later Zhou was overthrown and replaced by the Song dynasty.

Wang Dan enjoyed studying from a young age. In 980 he passed the imperial examination with honors, and was assigned to govern Pingjiang County as a magistrate. The circuit fiscal commissioner Zhao Changyan was very impressed by his governing, and betrothed his daughter to Wang Dan. In 984, after completing his assignment in Pingjiang, Wang Jiang was assigned to manage the silver mine in the Tan Prefecture. Through the recommendation of Tan's prefect He Chengju , Wang Dan was transferred to the capital Kaifeng's Palace Library, where he worked as an assistant editorial director . He worked on the compilations Wenyuan Yinghua and Shi Lei (詩類; "Poems"). He was promoted to assistant director of palace administration . In April 1001, Wang Dan became the Vice-Director of the Ministry of Works and Vice-Grand councilor , which enabled him to participate in policy discussions in the Administration Chamber with the emperor.

As grand councilor During Wang Dan's tenure, the civil service examination system saw some important institutionalized developments, including:

In 1007, the practice of protecting a candidate's anonymity was extended from the imperial examination in the capital to the departmental examinations in the provinces In 1015, the Bureau of Examination Copyists was established to copy examination papers to prevent candidates' handwriting from being recognized by examiners Between 1007 and 1011, the official promotion system through controlled sponsorship was fully developed

Although Wang Dan's role in these changes is unclear, historian Edward Kracke argued that Wang Dan must be behind them, being not only an influential grand councilor, but also an experienced examiner.

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