Zhang Juzheng (Winner of the 6th Mao Dun Literature Prize)

Author: Xiong Zhaozheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: The story revolves around the weaving of the dragon robe, the tax collection controversy, the purchase of cotton coats for soldiers, and the incident of suppressing emotions. The arrogance and extravagance of the emperor and his relatives, the corruption and excess of the officials, the short-sightedness and conservatism of the literary scholars, and the reform determination of the nation's pillars are vividly portrayed in the flow of the plot. The novel maintains the artistic style of the previous two volumes, with a thrilling plot, vivid rhythm, rich character development, and characters who seem to leap off the page. Zhang Juzheng was a legendary figure during the Ming Wanli era who became famous in history for his rigorous reforms. After becoming the Chief Minister, he governed for ten years: rectifying official conduct, refreshing decadent customs; reforming education, recruiting talented individuals; innovating taxes, managing finances. He saved the collapsing Ming Dynasty, making the Wanli period the most prosperous era in the Ming Dynasty. During his tenure, he was immensely powerful, influential, and favored by the emperor, but upon his death, he faced criticism, lost all his property, had his titles revoked, and his family suffered consequences, including his eighty-year-old mother and his descendants. This book won the First Yao Xueyin Long Historical Novel Award, the Hubei Provincial Government Book Award, the Qu Yuan Literary Creation Award, and was nominated for the Sixth Mao Dun Literature Prize.