Zhengde Emperor
Encyclopedia
The Zhengde Emperor (26 October 1491 – 20 April 1521) was emperor of China
(Ming dynasty
) between 1505-1521. Born Zhu Houzhao, he was the Hongzhi Emperor
's eldest son. His era name means "Right virtue" or "Rectification of virtue".
He took up a luxurious and prodigal lifestyle and indulged himself in women. It was said that he liked to frequent brothels and even created palaces called "Pao Fang" (豹房; literally "The Leopards' Chamber") outside the Forbidden City
in Beijing initially to house exotic animals such as tigers and leopards for his amusement and then later used to house beautiful women for his personal enjoyment. On one occasion he was badly mauled while hunting tigers, and could not appear in court audiences for a month. On another occasion he burned down his palace by storing gunpowder
in the courtyards during the lantern festival
. His harem was so overfilled that many of its women starved to death due to lack of supplies.
For months at a time he would live outside the Forbidden City or travel around the country with heavy expenditures being paid from the empire's coffer. While being urged to return to the palace and attend to governmental matters, Zhengde would refuse to receive all his ministers and ignored all their petitions. Zhengde also sanctioned the rise of eunuchs around him. One particular Liu Jin
, leader of the Eight Tigers
, was notorious for taking advantage of the young emperor and squandered immense amount of silver and valuables. The corrupted wealth is about 36 million pounds of gold and silver. There was even rumor of a plot that Liu Jin had intended to murder the emperor and place his own grandnephew on the throne. Liu Jin's plot was ultimately discovered, and he was executed in 1510 however the rise of corrupt enunchs continued throughout Zhengde's reign. There is also uprising led by Prince of Anhua and another uprising led by Prince of Ning
. Prince of Anhua was Zhengde's great-granduncle, while Prince of Ning was his granduncle.
In time Zhengde became notorious for his childish behaviour as well as abusing his power as emperor. For instance, he created a staged commercial district inside his palace and ordered all his ministers, eunuchs, soldiers and servants of the palace to dress up and act as merchants or street vendors while he walked through the scene pretending to be a commoner. Any unwilling participants, especially the ministers (who viewed it as degrading and an insult), would be punished or removed from their post.
Then in 1518 Zhengde declared himself General Zhu and personally led an expedition to the north to repeal raiding experditions several tens of thousands strong led by the Mongol General nicknamed "The Little Prince". He met the enemy outside the city of Yingzhou and defeated them in a major battle by surrounding them. For a long period of time after this battle, the Mongols did not launch a raiding experdition into Ming territory. Then again in 1519, Zhengde Emperor led another expedition to Jiangxi
province to the south to quell a rebellion by a powerful baron who had bribed many people in Zhengde's cabinet. He arrived only to discover that the revolt had already been put down by Wang Shouren, a local administrative officer. Frustrated at not being able to lead his troops to victory, Zhengde's advisor suggested the release the baron in order to capture him again. In January of 1521, Zhengde had the rebel Prince of Ning executed in Tongzhou
, an event that was recorded even by the Portuguese
embassy to China.
s, and envoys at his court. His court was reportedly full of muslims, and artwork such as porcelein from his court contained Islamic inscriptions in Arabic in Persian, he was also said to wear Muslim clothing and alleged to have converted to Islam. Muslim eunuchs ran many of his state affairs.
According to Bret Hinsch in the book Passions of the cut sleeve: the male homosexual tradition in China, Zhengde had a homosexual relationship with a Muslim leader from Hami, named Sayyid Husain, who served as the overseer in Hami during the Ming Turpan Border Wars.
In addition to having relationships with men, Zhengde also had many relationships with foreign women. He sought the daughters of many of his officials. The other Muslim in his court, a Central Asian called Yu Yung, sent Central Asian Uighur female dancers to Zhengde's quarters for sexual purposes. The emperor liked foreign women such as Mongols and Uighur.
Zhengde was noted for having a Uighur
woman as one of his favoriate concubines. Her last name was Ma, and she was reportedly trained in military and musical arts, in archery, horse riding, and singing music from Turkestan
, as well as being able to speak in several languages.
. His tomb is located at Kangling of the Ming Dynasty Tombs
.
The first direct European contacts with China occurred during the reign of Zhengde. In several initial missions commissioned by Afonso de Albuquerque
of Portuguese Malacca
, the Portuguese explorers Jorge Álvares
and Rafael Perestrello
landed in southern China and traded with the Chinese merchants of Tuen Mun
and Guangzhou
. In 1513 their king, Manuel I of Portugal
sent Fernão Pires de Andrade
and Tomé Pires
to formally open relations between the main court at Beijing
and Lisbon
, capital of Portugal
. Although Zhengde gave the Portuguese embassy his blessing while touring Nanjing in May of 1520, he died soon after and the Portuguese (who were rumored to be troublemakers in Canton and even cannibals of kidnapped Chinese children), were ejected by Chinese authorities under the new Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe
. Although illegal trade continued thereafter, official relations between the Portuguese and the Ming court would not improve until the 1540s, culminating in the Ming court's consent in 1557 which allowed Portugal to establish Macau
as their trading base in China.
However, more modern historians have come to view his reign in a new light and debate that his actions along with that of his successors such as Wanli was a direct reaction to the bureaucratic gridlock that the Ming was stuck in its later half. The emperors were very limited in their policy decision and could not really implement any sort of lasting effective reforms despite the obvious need, while they were faced with constant pressure and were expected to be responsible for all the troubles the dynasty faced. As a result, the ministers became increasingly frustrated and disillusioned about their post, and protested in different forms of what is essentially an imperial strike. Thus emperors like Zhengde sneaked out of the palace while emperors like Jiajing and Wanli simply didn't show up at court.
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...
(Ming dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
) between 1505-1521. Born Zhu Houzhao, he was the Hongzhi Emperor
Hongzhi Emperor
The Hongzhi Emperor was emperor of the Ming dynasty in China between 1487 and 1505. Born Zhu Youcheng , he was the son of the Chenghua Emperor and his reign as emperor of China is called the Hongzhi...
's eldest son. His era name means "Right virtue" or "Rectification of virtue".
Early years
Zhengde was created crown prince at a very early age and because his father did not take up any other concubines, Zhengde did not have to contend with other princes for the throne. (His younger brother died in infancy.) Zhengde was thoroughly educated in Confucian literature and he excelled in his studies. Many of Emperor Hongzhi's ministers expected that Zhengde would become a benevolent and brilliant emperor like his father, but this was not to be.Reign as Emperor
Zhengde ascended the throne and was married to the Empress at the age of 14. Unlike his father, Zhengde was not interested in ruling or his Empress and disregarded all state affairs. His actions have been considered reckless, foolish or pointless. There are many instances where he showed a lack of responsibility.He took up a luxurious and prodigal lifestyle and indulged himself in women. It was said that he liked to frequent brothels and even created palaces called "Pao Fang" (豹房; literally "The Leopards' Chamber") outside the Forbidden City
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
in Beijing initially to house exotic animals such as tigers and leopards for his amusement and then later used to house beautiful women for his personal enjoyment. On one occasion he was badly mauled while hunting tigers, and could not appear in court audiences for a month. On another occasion he burned down his palace by storing gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
in the courtyards during the lantern festival
Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival ; is a festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the Chinese calendar, the last day...
. His harem was so overfilled that many of its women starved to death due to lack of supplies.
For months at a time he would live outside the Forbidden City or travel around the country with heavy expenditures being paid from the empire's coffer. While being urged to return to the palace and attend to governmental matters, Zhengde would refuse to receive all his ministers and ignored all their petitions. Zhengde also sanctioned the rise of eunuchs around him. One particular Liu Jin
Liu Jin
Liú Jĭn was a well-known Chinese eunuch during the reign of the Chinese Ming Dynasty Zhengde Emperor . Liu was famous for being one of the most corrupt officials in Chinese history and the emperor in all but name for some time...
, leader of the Eight Tigers
Eight Tigers
The Eight Tigers , sometimes referred to as the "Gang of Eight" , were a powerful group of eunuchs that controlled the Chinese imperial court during the reign of the Ming Dynasty Zhengde Emperor The Eight Tigers , sometimes referred to as the "Gang of Eight" (八党/八黨), were a powerful group of...
, was notorious for taking advantage of the young emperor and squandered immense amount of silver and valuables. The corrupted wealth is about 36 million pounds of gold and silver. There was even rumor of a plot that Liu Jin had intended to murder the emperor and place his own grandnephew on the throne. Liu Jin's plot was ultimately discovered, and he was executed in 1510 however the rise of corrupt enunchs continued throughout Zhengde's reign. There is also uprising led by Prince of Anhua and another uprising led by Prince of Ning
Zhu Chenhao
Zhu Chenhao or Prince of Ning was a member of Ming Dynasty's Royal Family. He was the 5th generation descendant of Zhu Quan, the seventeenth son of Hongwu Emperor.-Biography:...
. Prince of Anhua was Zhengde's great-granduncle, while Prince of Ning was his granduncle.
In time Zhengde became notorious for his childish behaviour as well as abusing his power as emperor. For instance, he created a staged commercial district inside his palace and ordered all his ministers, eunuchs, soldiers and servants of the palace to dress up and act as merchants or street vendors while he walked through the scene pretending to be a commoner. Any unwilling participants, especially the ministers (who viewed it as degrading and an insult), would be punished or removed from their post.
Then in 1518 Zhengde declared himself General Zhu and personally led an expedition to the north to repeal raiding experditions several tens of thousands strong led by the Mongol General nicknamed "The Little Prince". He met the enemy outside the city of Yingzhou and defeated them in a major battle by surrounding them. For a long period of time after this battle, the Mongols did not launch a raiding experdition into Ming territory. Then again in 1519, Zhengde Emperor led another expedition to Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
province to the south to quell a rebellion by a powerful baron who had bribed many people in Zhengde's cabinet. He arrived only to discover that the revolt had already been put down by Wang Shouren, a local administrative officer. Frustrated at not being able to lead his troops to victory, Zhengde's advisor suggested the release the baron in order to capture him again. In January of 1521, Zhengde had the rebel Prince of Ning executed in Tongzhou
Tongzhou
Tongzhou may refer to:* Tongzhou, Jiangsu, current Nantong city, a former city in Jiangsu** Tongzhou District, Nantong, in Jiangsu* Tongzhou, Hebei, current Tongzhou District in Beijing, a former city in Hebei* Tongzhou District, Beijing...
, an event that was recorded even by the Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
embassy to China.
Relationships with Foreigners
The Zhengde Emperor was fascinated by foreigners. He invited Muslims to serve as advisors, eunuchEunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
s, and envoys at his court. His court was reportedly full of muslims, and artwork such as porcelein from his court contained Islamic inscriptions in Arabic in Persian, he was also said to wear Muslim clothing and alleged to have converted to Islam. Muslim eunuchs ran many of his state affairs.
According to Bret Hinsch in the book Passions of the cut sleeve: the male homosexual tradition in China, Zhengde had a homosexual relationship with a Muslim leader from Hami, named Sayyid Husain, who served as the overseer in Hami during the Ming Turpan Border Wars.
In addition to having relationships with men, Zhengde also had many relationships with foreign women. He sought the daughters of many of his officials. The other Muslim in his court, a Central Asian called Yu Yung, sent Central Asian Uighur female dancers to Zhengde's quarters for sexual purposes. The emperor liked foreign women such as Mongols and Uighur.
Zhengde was noted for having a Uighur
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
woman as one of his favoriate concubines. Her last name was Ma, and she was reportedly trained in military and musical arts, in archery, horse riding, and singing music from Turkestan
Turkestan
Turkestan, spelled also as Turkistan, literally means "Land of the Turks".The term Turkestan is of Persian origin and has never been in use to denote a single nation. It was first used by Persian geographers to describe the place of Turkish peoples...
, as well as being able to speak in several languages.
Dark Affliction
Prior to the death of the emperor in early 1521, rumours about a mysterious group of creatures collectively called Dark Afflictions (黑眚) circulated the capital. Their attacks caused much unrest, because they randomly attacked people at night, causing wounds with their claws. The Minister for War asked the emperor to write an imperial edict proclaiming local security troops would arrest all those who frightened other people. The threat brought a sudden end to the spread of the stories.Death of Emperor
Emperor Zhengde died in 1521 at the age of 30. One day in the fall of 1520 it was said that Zhengde was drunk while boating on a lake. He fell off his boat and almost drowned. He died after contracting illnesses from the Grand Canal waters. Since none of his several children had survived childhood, he was succeeded by his cousin Zhu HoucongJiajing Emperor
The Jiajing Emperor was the 11th Ming Dynasty Emperor of China who ruled from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin...
. His tomb is located at Kangling of the Ming Dynasty Tombs
Ming Dynasty Tombs
The Ming Dynasty Tombs are located some 51.35 kilometers due north of central Beijing, within the suburban Changping District of Beijing municipality...
.
Contact with Europe
Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque[p][n] was a Portuguese fidalgo, or nobleman, an admiral whose military and administrative activities as second governor of Portuguese India conquered and established the Portuguese colonial empire in the Indian Ocean...
of Portuguese Malacca
Portuguese Malacca
Portuguese Malacca was the territory of Malacca that, for 130 years , was a Portuguese colony.- History :From the writing of the Portuguese historian Emanuel Godinho de Erédia in the middle of the 16th century, the site of the old city of Malacca was named after the Myrobalans, fruit-bearing trees...
, the Portuguese explorers Jorge Álvares
Jorge Álvares
Jorge Álvares is credited as the first Portuguese explorer to have reached China and Hong Kong. The Fundação Jorge Álvares , founded by Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira prior to the handover of Macau, got its name from him also having reached there.-Exploration:In May 1513 Álvares sailed under the...
and Rafael Perestrello
Rafael Perestrello
Rafael Perestrello was a Portuguese explorer and a cousin of Filipa Moniz Perestrello, the wife of the famed explorer Christopher Columbus...
landed in southern China and traded with the Chinese merchants of Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun is a town near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in Hong Kong which can be dated back to the Neolithic period. In the more recent past, it was home to many Tanka fishermen who gathered at the Castle...
and Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. In 1513 their king, Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatrice of Portugal...
sent Fernão Pires de Andrade
Fernão Pires de Andrade
Captain Fernão Pires de Andrade was a Portuguese merchant, pharmacist, and official diplomat under the explorer and Malacca governor Afonso de Albuquerque...
and Tomé Pires
Tomé Pires
Tomé Pires was an apothecary from Lisbon who spent 1512 to 1515 in Malacca immediately after the Portuguese conquest, at a time when Europeans were only first arriving in South East Asia...
to formally open relations between the main court at Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, capital of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. Although Zhengde gave the Portuguese embassy his blessing while touring Nanjing in May of 1520, he died soon after and the Portuguese (who were rumored to be troublemakers in Canton and even cannibals of kidnapped Chinese children), were ejected by Chinese authorities under the new Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe
Yang Tinghe
Yang Tinghe , style name Jiefu, was a Grand Secretary in the Ming Dynasty under the Zhengde and Jiajing emperors...
. Although illegal trade continued thereafter, official relations between the Portuguese and the Ming court would not improve until the 1540s, culminating in the Ming court's consent in 1557 which allowed Portugal to establish Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
as their trading base in China.
Legacy
Though bred to be a successful ruler, Zhengde thoroughly neglected his duties, beginning a dangerous trend that would plague future Ming emperors. The abandoning of official duties to pursue personal gratifications would slowly lead to the rise of powerful eunuchs that would dominate and eventually ruin the Ming dynasty.However, more modern historians have come to view his reign in a new light and debate that his actions along with that of his successors such as Wanli was a direct reaction to the bureaucratic gridlock that the Ming was stuck in its later half. The emperors were very limited in their policy decision and could not really implement any sort of lasting effective reforms despite the obvious need, while they were faced with constant pressure and were expected to be responsible for all the troubles the dynasty faced. As a result, the ministers became increasingly frustrated and disillusioned about their post, and protested in different forms of what is essentially an imperial strike. Thus emperors like Zhengde sneaked out of the palace while emperors like Jiajing and Wanli simply didn't show up at court.
Cultural reference
- In the 1959 movie Kingdom and the Beauty (江山美人) emperor Zhengde disguises himself as a regular commoner among the people.
- The film Chinese Odyssey 2002Chinese Odyssey 2002Chinese Odyssey 2002 is a 2002 Hong Kong film written and directed by Jeffrey Lau and produced by Wong Kar-wai. It stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Faye Wong, Zhao Wei and Chang Chen....
was loosely based on the story during one of Zhengde's touring at Zhejiang province. - The 2005 television show 正德演義 (Zhengde Commentary) the emperor was cast by popular variety show host 何炅 (He Jiong).