Ming Taizu (r. 1368–98) and the Foundation of the Ming Dynasty in China Variorum Collected Studies Series

This second collection of studies by Hok-lam Chan focuses on the person and the image of Ming Taizu, the founder of the Ming dynasty, and a powerful, brutal and autocratic emperor who has had a significant impact not only in late imperial China, but also in East Asia, over the last six centuries. Individual studies look at the legitimation of the dynasty, particular military and religious figures, policies of persecution and punishment, and struggles over the succession.

Contents: Preface; The 'Song' dynasty legacy: symbolism and legitimation from Han Liner to Zhu Yuanzhang on the Ming dynasty; Naqacu the grand marshall, a Mongol warlord in Manchuria during the Yuan-Ming transition; Two Ming biographies: the Crazy Chou Immortal and the Iron-Cap Taoist; Ming T'ai-tsu's manipulation of letters: myth and reality of literary persecution; Ming Taizu's 'placards' on harsh regulations and punishments revealed in Gu Qiyuan's Kezuo zhuiyu; Ming Taizu's problem with his sons: Prince Qin's criminality and early-Ming politics; The making of a myth: Liu Ji's fictionalization in the Yinglie zhuan and its sequel; Legitimating usurpation: historical revisions under the Ming Yongle emperor (r.1402-1424); Index.