Zhu Yuanzhang

1328-1398

First emperor of the ming dynasty

Sources

Early Life. Zhu Yuanzhang was born in Fengyang, an area under the influence of the White Lotus Society. Anticipating the coming of the future Buddha and the establishment of a “pure land,” the White Lotus sect appealed to peasants. In 1351 the Yuan court enlisted thousands of men to work on rerouting the Yellow River, which incited the Red Turban rebellion. In just one year the revolt had swept through the Yangzi Valley and had restricted the Yuan army to Nanjing and the other major cities in the region. This turmoil had great impact on Zhu Yuanzhang. After the death of his parents in the famine of 1344, Zhu Yuanzhang first took refuge in a Buddhist temple, then became a beggar and finally a soldier. In 1352 he joined a Red Turban band under the leadership of Guo Zixing, which was active near Fengyang. In only one year Zhu Yuanzhang had enlisted twenty-four men from his native area and had married Guo Zixing’s adopted daughter. In the next two years the imperial forces put down much of the rebel activity.

Opportunity. In January 1355 the insurrection flared up again. The leader of the northern Red Turbans claimed descent from the Song dynasty (960-1279) and declared himself emperor. By 1360 the Yuan empire (1279-1368) had totally lost control of the Yangzi valley, where several regional leaders had their own independent bases. In this situation, Zhu Yuanzhang was given an opportunity to rise to power.

Rising. Zhu Yuanzhang’s military ability and skill in creating tactical alliances contributed to his victory. As his influence grew he heeded the advice of Confucian advisers and gained a reputation for taking care of ordi-nary people. By 1355 he had built a base camp and had organized an army. He took over Nanjing in 1356. When his forces occupied a town he created a new civil government staffed by scholar-officials, some of whom had previously served the Yuan government. He appointed officials to oversee the repair of river defenses and to promote the development of agriculture. Meanwhile, he slowly severed his relationship with Red Turban ideology and with the northern Red Turban dynasty, which collapsed in 1367. In these and other ways he demonstrated his eagerness to acquire the quali-ties associated with a Chinese emperor. In January 1368, defeating his main opponents and believing that the Mongols could not offer any resistance, he announced the founding of the Ming (Radiance) dynasty (1368-1644) and assumed the title of Hongwu.

Reign. Hongwu’s first task was to control the rest of China, sending a military expedition to the north to force the Mongols from their capital, Dadu. After occupying the city, Hongwu renamed it Beiping, meaning “the north is pacified.” Although Hongwu attempted to restore the practices of the Tang (618-907) and Song dynasties at the beginning of his reign, he actually sustained most of the features of the Yuan empire. He retained much of their military structure; the army continued to be treated as an occupational class commanded by hereditary officials. The same principles were used in early Ming government administration. Throughout his reign, claiming to take care of the welfare of his subjects, Hongwu ruled as a thorough autocrat. After his death he was buried in the suburbs of Nanjing.

Sources

Edward Farmer, Early Ming Government: The Evolution of Dual Capitals (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1976).

Carrington Goodrich and Fang Chaoying, eds., Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1368-1644 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1976).

Ann Paluden, The Imperial Ming Tombs (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1981).

Romeyn Taylor, trans., The Basic Annals of Ming T’ai-tsu (San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center, 1975).