Yuanzhang

Yuanzhang, better known as Zhu Yuanzhang, was a Chinese statesman and the founder of the Ming Dynasty, ruling as the Hongwu Emperor from 1368 to 1398. Born in 1328 in Fengyang (present-day Anhui Province) to a poor peasant family, he was orphaned during a famine and survived in poverty before joining rebel groups opposing the Yuan dynasty. He rose to lead rebel forces in the south and northeast and established control over key territories, with Nanjing as his base.

In 1368 he proclaimed the Ming Dynasty, with himself as emperor, and moved the capital to Nanjing. His reign was characterized by strong centralized rule, efforts to restore agricultural productivity, and a reduction of noble power. He reorganized the government to rely on a centralized bureaucracy and the civil service examination for staffing, while limiting the influence of hereditary aristocrats. He also sought to stabilize frontiers and suppress rival commanders.

To maintain control, Hongwu created the Jinyiwei, an imperial secret police, and enforced a strict legal code that culminated in the Great Ming Code. His policy initiatives laid the foundations for a centralized, bureaucratic state, with a long-lasting emphasis on peasant welfare, moral governance, and harsh punishment for dissent. The reign established the political framework that defined Ming governance for generations.

He died in 1398, and his son Zhu Di eventually became the Yongle Emperor after a succession conflict, moving the capital to Beijing in the early 15th century. Yuanzhang's efforts decisively shaped the early Ming state and its administrative institutions, which continued to influence Chinese governance for centuries.