Hongwu Emperor (1328-1398) was the founder of China’s Ming dynasty (family of rulers). His original name was Zhu Yuanzhang. When he became emperor, Zhu selected Hongwu—Chinese for vast military achievement—as the name for the period of his reign. He is therefore called the Hongwu Emperor. He is also called Ming Taizu, meaning the Grand Ancestor of the Ming. The Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644.
Zhu Yuanzhang was born in 1328 in what is now Anhui Province in eastern China. He was born into a poor peasant family, and his parents died when he was a teenager. Zhu entered a monastery, where Buddhist monks taught him to read and write. In the 1350’s, a Mongol army destroyed the monastery, and Zhu joined a rebellion against Mongol rule. The Mongols had controlled China as the Yuan dynasty since 1279.
Zhu became increasingly important in the rebel movement and eventually took command of an army. Zhu’s faction became known as the Ming, meaning bright. After years of bloody struggle, Zhu defeated his rival warlords. Zhu’s faction took control of the city of Nanjing and areas along the Yangtze River. In the 1360’s, his army took the Yuan capital—modern-day Beijing—and drove the Mongols from northern China.
Zhu proclaimed himself the Hongwu Emperor in 1368. To legitimize his rule, he cited the Mandate of Heaven—the idea that Heaven allows moral people to overthrow corrupt regimes. Zhu placed great importance on education, literature, and philosophy. He oversaw agricultural reforms that increased the food supply. China’s population grew as a result. Zhu encouraged the building of canals and the planting of trees. To counter threats of rival warlords and the Mongols, he also created a huge army. Nanjing became the first capital of the Ming dynasty.
China prospered and expanded under Zhu’s reign. However, Zhu ruled as a dictator and was noted for his cruelty. He tortured and executed thousands of people he suspected of treason, corruption, or other offenses. Zhu died in 1398 in Nanjing. According to custom, a number of women from his household were forced to commit suicide to follow their emperor into the afterlife.
Zhu’s remains were placed in the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum just east of Nanjing. The complex is a World Heritage Site. Such sites are places of unique cultural importance, as designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
See also China (History) ; Ming dynasty .
