The Ming and the Forbidden City
A rebel peasant founds a dynasty, and his son builds a capital of 980 buildings.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 52 years
- Known to
- ± 2 years
- Era
- Post-Classical, Holocene
Zhu Yuanzhang, born to destitute farmers and orphaned by plague, drives out the Mongols and founds the Ming in 1368 — one of very few founders of a major dynasty to come from the bottom of society. His son moves the capital to Beijing and builds the Forbidden City, completed in 1420, along with a rebuilt Great Wall in brick. The Ming restore Confucian government and turn increasingly inward.