Emperor Hongwu, 1st ruler of the Ming Dynasty (r. 1368-1398). Personal Name: Zhu Yuanzhang, Zh贖 Yu獺nzh?ng. Posthumous Name: Gaodi, G?od穫. Temple Name: Taizu, T?iz?. Reign Name: Ming Hongwu, Ming H籀ngw?.

The Hongwu Emperor was the founder and first emperor (1368??8) of the Ming Dynasty of China. His era name, Hongwu, means 'vastly martial'. In the middle of the 14th century, with famine, plagues and peasant revolts sweeping across China, Zhu became a leader of an army that conquered China, ending the Yuan Dynasty and forcing the Mongols to retreat to the Mongolian steppes. With his seizure of the Yuan capital (present-day Beijing), he claimed the Mandate of Heaven and established the Ming Dynasty in 1368.