Hongwu

Introduction
Early life
Emergence as general
National military leadership
Reign as emperor
Despotic tendencies
Administration
Foreign affairs
The succession
Legacy

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The Hongwu emperor; in the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

At a Glance

Hongwu emperor summary

Quizzes

Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon in Coronation Robes or Napoleon I Emperor of France, 1804 by Baron Francois Gerard or Baron Francois-Pascal-Simon Gerard, from the Musee National, Chateau de Versailles.

Kings and Emperors (Part III) Quiz

Related Questions

How did Confucian scholars influence Zhu Yuanzhang’s approach to government?
How did Ming forces expand into Sichuan and Yunnan during the Hongwu emperor’s reign?
How did Xu Da help the Hongwu emperor overthrow the Yuan dynasty?
How did Zhu Yuanzhang become connected to a Buddhist monastery near Fengyang?
How did Zhu Yuanzhang deal with Fang Guozhen after Fang surrendered?
How did Zhu Yuanzhang encourage agriculture in the lands he controlled?
How did Zhu Yuanzhang govern the Nanjing region before becoming emperor?
How did famine and plague change Zhu Yuanzhang’s childhood in 1344?
How did the Hongwu emperor’s rule shape the government and political tone of the Ming dynasty?
How did the Ming guard-post military system support soldiers through farming?
How did the execution of Hu Weiyong change the Ming central government?
How did the floods and rebellions of 1352 lead Zhu Yuanzhang to join an uprising?
How did the prince of Yan become the Yongle emperor after the Hongwu emperor’s death?
How long did the Ming dynasty founded by the Hongwu emperor rule China?
What does the reign title Hongwu mean?
What happened to Chen Youliang during the Battle of Lake Poyang?
When did Ming forces capture Dadu, the Yuan capital later called Beijing?
When did Zhu Yuanzhang become the Hongwu emperor of the Ming dynasty?
When did Zhu Yuanzhang capture Nanjing?
When was China’s unification under the Ming dynasty completed?
Where did the Battle of Lake Poyang take place?
Where was Zhu Yuanzhang born?
Which parts of China were brought under Ming control during the 1368 northern campaign?
Which regions sent tribute missions to the Ming court during the Hongwu emperor’s reign?
Which six ministries took over administrative duties after the Secretariat was abolished?
Who succeeded the Hongwu emperor when he died in 1398?
Who were Zhu Yuanzhang’s main rivals for control of China?
Why did Zhu Yuanzhang declare that he would liberate China from Mongol rule?
Why did Zhu Yuanzhang initially recognize Han Lin’er as his superior?
Why did educated gentry men join Zhu Yuanzhang’s movement?
Why did later Ming rulers find the Hongwu emperor’s centralized government system difficult to manage?
Why did military families receive exemptions from civilian labor services under the Ming system?
Why did the Hongwu emperor both support Confucian scholars and restrict their political power?
Why did the Hongwu emperor grant principalities to his sons?
Why did the Hongwu emperor limit the influence of eunuchs in government?
Why did the Hongwu emperor prevent the empress from taking part in court politics?
Why did the Hongwu emperor’s missions to Japan fail to stop coastal piracy?
Why is Zhu Yuanzhang often called the Hongwu emperor rather than Taizu?
Why was Nanjing strategically important to Zhu Yuanzhang’s rise to power?
Why is Cixi important?
Who was Zheng He?
Why was Zheng He important?
Where did Zheng He travel?
What was Deng Xiaoping best known for?
How did Deng Xiaoping influence others?
Who is Xi Jinping?
Who is Xi Jinping’s father?
How did Xi Jinping consolidate power in China?
Why is Sun Yat-sen important?

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External Websites

Ancient History Encyclopedia - Biography of Hongwu Emperor
Academy of Chinese Studies - Zhu Yuanzhangï¿½An Emperor Through the Ages

Hongwu

emperor of Ming dynasty

Also known as: Gaodi, Hung-wu, Taizu, Zhu Chongba, Zhu Yuanzhang(Show More)

Written by

David B. Chan

Emeritus Professor of History, California State University, Hayward. Author of The Usurpation of the Prince of Yen, 1398–1402.

David B. Chan

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 17, 2026 •History

Hongwu (born Oct. 21, 1328, Haozhou [now Fengyang, Anhui province], China—died June 24, 1398, Nanjing) was the Chinese emperor (reigned 1368–98) who founded the Ming dynasty that ruled China for nearly 300 years. During his reign, the Hongwu emperor instituted military, administrative, and educational reforms that centred power in the emperor. The future Hongwu emperor was born in 1328 as Zhu Chongba, a poor peasant of Haozhou (about 100 miles [160 km] northwest of Nanjing,...

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