How a Homeless Man Became the Emperor of China
In China’s more than 4000 years long history there has been only one case where a peasant rose to the rank in society higher than everyone else; emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang was a peasant who experience extreme poverty during 14th century China, who later became the founder and the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. How could a peasant become the most powerful man in China? This is the story of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor of Ming.
Upbringing and Extreme Poverty
Zhu Yuanzhang was born on September 18, 1328, in the Yuan Dynasty province of Hao, present-day Anhui province. He was born to a peasant farmer and his wife, who were both in their 40s. His birth was not celebrated because of his parents’ old age and their extreme poverty.
Yuan Dynasty, which ruled China during the time, drove China into extreme poverty and chaos during Zhu’s childhood. Zhu was often malnourished but he was also regarded as the leader amongst his childhood friends. Zhu and his friends would sneak into his landlord’s farm and steal calves to eat, which resulted and Zhu getting severely beaten by the landlord. His childhood friends became his comrades later in his life, helping him take down Yuan and establish…
