This storytelling performance uses the true history of the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties as its framework, and Jianghuai folk legends and anecdotes from popular tales as its flesh and blood. With the wit of ordinary people, it reinterprets emperors and their ministers, while using the art of traditional storytelling to bring the turbulent Hongwu era to life. Its aim is to present a "down-to-earth Zhu Yuanzhang": a man with the grand vision of a historical giant, but also the sly humor of a boy who once herded cattle. He is both the Hongwu Emperor who founded a dynasty that lasted 276 years and Zhu Chongba, who hid away private money and was afraid of his wife. The story reveals an unknown side of Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. History provides the backdrop, folk life adds color, humanity is its foundation, and humor its soul.
