Hongwu
Hongwu, born Zhu Yuanzhang (1328–1398), known posthumously as the Hongwu Emperor and commonly called Taizu of the Ming, was the founder of the Ming Dynasty of China and its first emperor, ruling from 1368 to 1398. He rose from poverty in the late Yuan period, joined the Red Turban Rebellion, and gradually defeated rival forces to consolidate authority over most of China proper. In 1368 he established the Ming Dynasty, proclaiming the era name Hongwu and setting the capital at Nanjing.
His reign was marked by centralization and systematic state-building. He reestablished a bureaucratic system centered on
The Hongwu era solidified the Ming's institutional framework and territorial consolidation, with the capital remaining in