Tales of Imperial Politics: The Ming Dynasty

Zhu Yuanzhang secured the realm, building his ideals on heaps of bones. Let good and evil be judged anew. Zhang Juzheng governed the empire, making his moves in a deadlocked game, where life and death were worlds apart.

Drawing on vast archives of historical texts, the book brings to light episodes long overlooked by historians and retells the rise and fall of dynasties and the changing fortunes of the realm. It handles a weighty subject with remarkable ease. It is, indeed, an outstanding work among recent publications on history and literature.

The Ming Empire founded by Zhu Yuanzhang brought China's imperial traditions to their fullest expression and represented the culmination of two thousand years of imperial rule. Its influence on China's political and cultural traditions was profound and far-reaching, so much so that it remains clearly visible even today, more than six hundred years later. The portrayal of Zhu Yuanzhang's appearance and actions is strikingly vivid. The description of his looks here seems much closer to the standard portrait before it was artistically retouched. What these two paintings reveal carries great relevance for the present and profound significance for history. The Ming Empire's future and its powerful influence on the collective character of the Chinese people can already be glimpsed here.