Lü Jinglin was just saying about the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang

Author: Lü Jinglin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: CCTV's annual blockbuster drama The Legend of the Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang is currently in hot air. Ming history expert Lü Jinglin is discussing the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the most authoritative interpretation of Zhu Yuanzhang to date. Power and strategy, officialdom and people's livelihood, family affection and legal principles, conscience and cruelty—what made Zhu Yuanzhang, and how did he establish the Great Ming Dynasty that lasted for 277 years? Was Zhu Yuanzhang a petty and treacherous villain or a modest and magnanimous gentleman? Why did he go to great lengths to eliminate Li Shanchang, Xu Da, and Liu Bowen—these loyal ministers who helped him build the empire—by putting them to death? Was he an ordinary mortal with strong desires or a pure and detached sage revered by all ages? Why did he vacillate at times yet make decisive and earth-shaking decisions at others? Why did he adore and mourn Ma Dajiao while also indulging in the comforts of the imperial harem, even taking the fiancées of court officials for himself? Why was he both humble and arrogant, both exceptionally frugal and extravagantly luxurious to the point of having his favorite concubines die alongside him in his tomb? Legends abound, unofficial histories are plentiful, and the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, amidst conflicting accounts, remains as elusive as viewing flowers through mist or gazing at the moon in water. Lü Jinglin Discusses the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang lifts the veil of historical dust to reveal the most authentic Zhu Yuanzhang. Was Zhu Yuanzhang a petty and treacherous villain or a modest and magnanimous gentleman? Why did he go to great lengths to eliminate Li Shanchang, Xu Da, and Liu Bowen—these loyal ministers who helped him build the empire—by putting them to death? Was he an ordinary mortal with strong desires or a pure and detached sage revered by all ages? Why did he vacillate at times yet make decisive and earth-shaking decisions at others? Why did he adore and mourn Ma Dajiao while also indulging in the comforts of the imperial harem, even taking the fiancées of court officials for himself? Why was he both humble and arrogant, both exceptionally frugal and extravagantly luxurious to the point of having his favorite concubines die alongside him in his tomb? Legends abound, unofficial histories are plentiful, and the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, amidst conflicting accounts, remains as elusive as viewing flowers through mist or gazing at the moon in water. Lü Jinglin Discusses the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang lifts the veil of historical dust to reveal the most authentic Zhu Yuanzhang.