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3 unusual facts about Discourses on Salt and Iron


Discourses on Salt and Iron

The reformists were largely Confucian scholars who were opposed to the policies of Emperor Wu, and who demanded abolition of the monopolies on salt and iron, an end to the state price stabilization schemes, and huge cuts in government expenditures to reduce the burden of the citizenry.

After his death, during the reign of Emperor Zhao of Han, the regent Huo Guang called on all the scholars of the empire to come to the capital, Chang'an, to debate the government's economic policies.

The previous emperor, Emperor Wu, had reversed the laissez-faire policies of his predecessors imposed a wide variety of state interventions, such as monopolies on salt and iron, price stabilization schemes, and taxes on capital, which had sparked fierce debate.



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