FOUNDING THE MING DYNASTY: ZHU YUANZHANG, EMPEROR HONGWU

[@History_of_China]

A couple of new features for my channel! As some of you requested, I have activated the Super Thanks button for those of you who would like to support my work :) I also now have an 𝕏/Twitter account! You can follow the channel's news and interesting anecdotes @History_ofChina x.com/History_ofChina !

[@askip9304]

You should activate membership for the channel

[@justsomeguywholikesdavidbo1085]

Thanks for uploading again bro, can’t wait for more vids.

[@RobertKc-k1o]

Make video about Jin Dynasty.

[@donwinn8551]

Lllllllllll

[@deliciousainzketchup6205]

I heard about your Puyi video going down. That’s a damn shame! I consider it an honor that I was able to see the original masterpiece before its unjust removal. I’m not sure how YT ad revenue works, as I am just a nerd who likes to watch history, but I am sure that losing a video hurts. I hope this helps you and yours as you continue to make outstanding content.

[@History_of_China]

Thank you so much! Greatly appreciated 😊

[@SafetySpooon]

Oh, wow - that's awful! I, too, saw the original, & hope it can somehow be restored to YT.

[@MasaMasa-hv9fl]

The king is back

[@zainmudassir2964]

The Emperor has returned to reclaim Mandate of Heaven!

[@Nom_AnorVSJedi]

Zhu Yuanzhang was contemporary of Timur the Lame, born around the same time, and died a year after Zhu Yuanzhang. Interesting parallels in their careers as well being warlords and coming from nothing.

[@dfgh-ke8ch]

Timur would later declare war on zhu di(the Yonge emperor) after both sides finished their own great campaigns.

[@Nom_AnorVSJedi]

@@dfgh-ke8ch their sons Yongle and Shah Rukh had good relations in the end.

[@islamicfukistanisocialistr2758]

What? Timur wasnt nobody. He was son of chief. They are many Barlas people still in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

[@LiquidusEvilus]

​@@Nom_AnorVSJedithat's wild

[@crayonsukrou913]

Yea, that seems to be common things for successful warlords. During an era of chaos, talented people, regardless of their background, could quickly rose to the top, such as: Chandragupta Maurya, Julius Caesar, Liu Bang, Temujin, Timur, Zhu Yuanzhang, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Napoleon Bonaparte, Iosif Stalin, Mao Zedong, etc.

[@anglowarrior7970]

Finally, You are Back!!!! Loved the Episode, Truly Proves Quality > Quantity.

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@CARL_093]

Notable Ming achievements include the refurbishment of the Great Wall to its greatest glory, large naval expeditions, vibrant maritime trade, and the rise of a heavily monetized economy. Ming dynasty founder Emperor Hongwu, or Zhu Yuanzhang, was born into poverty, and spent part of his youth wandering the country after his parents died following a series of natural disasters centered around the Yellow River. He spent several years begging for a Buddhist monastery, and several more living there, but that life came to an end when a militia burned it down to quell a rebellion. In 1352, Taizu joined a rebel group related to the White Lotus Society and rose up the ranks speedily, eventually leading a successful invasion on the city of Nanjing, which he used as a base to lash out at regional warlords. Taizu’s ultimate quarry was the Mongolian rulers of the Yuan empire. Taizu captured Beijing in 1368, destroying the palaces, sending the Mongolian rulers fleeing and announcing the Ming Dynasty.

[@philodendron6]

A clear pronunciation, measured speaking, hallmarks of this chain. Again, a production of the utmost quality, such a seemingly easy delivery is the fruit of a most cultured mind.

[@toraguchitoraguchi9154]

Ming was the only Chinese Dynasty that was founded by an actual peasant. First Emperor of Qin was descended from the Qin kingdoms' royal house. Han Founder was a minor official in the Qin Empire. Sui Founder waa an aristocrat, Tang and Song Founders were from the Military, Yuan founder was Kublai Khan, and Qing Founder was Royalty

[@LeechUFC]

An absolutely phenomenal video. The best coverage of the rise of the Ming on KZbin

[@SayedMuhammadAlSharif]

Finally, the Ming dynasty!!! Was waiting for it. More parts please!!

[@joshuacuyugan9512]

Bro literally just started a bannerlord campaign 💀

[@manchuriangeneral5832]

Finally, History of China's back

[@lilwil-ns3uo]

IKR??!! 🎉

[@decem_sagittae]

Your videos are excellent. They helped me refresh my fading knowledge of Chinese history and deepen my understanding of it. I would like to see a series on early Chinese history one day. Thank you for all your work.

[@podcastler]

Timur was terrorizing the west at the time, and a meeting between the two could have been epic.

[@philipsalama8083]

You're back - and with my favourite dynasty, too!

[@AndrewTheMandrew531]

I love these videos so very much! No doubt that great effort is put into them. This channel is the first place I go to learn about Chinese history. Edit: I also find it ironic that, after learning from Confucian scholars about treating others with goodwill, even your enemies, his political enemies were assassinated (or, “died mysteriously”) and those who were hesitant to carry out his orders were executed.

[@linshitaolst4936]

I recommend this vlogger@WuZhenTianWang-JieGe，This vlogger provided a detailed introduction to the armor of various dynasties in China. I hope that in the future, when it comes to Asian culture, many people cannot only focus on the armor of Japanese samurai

[@miululu7432]

I really enjoy your videos. Thank you so much for your hard work in creating them! I intend to watch every single one.

[@bhchen3079]

Zhu Yuanzhang was a peasant and a monk in his earlier life. He joined a rebellion movement and managed to unify China under his rule.

[@fallenfromgrace-ch9ox]

Yes bro it's been months 😢 welcome back

[@History_of_China]

Thanks! I try my best to keep working on the channel despite my hectic schedule

[@pola5392]

This channel was the most recent search term for me, wondering what had happened. Here you are! I loved this video and I can't wait for more excerpts from this brilliant history!

[@kiardothefirst8011]

please continue doing stuff on the history of China, your the only entertaining and seemingly dependable channel on this topic.

[@axelNodvon2047]

Ever watch gates of kilikien’s channel? His stuff is pretty good too

[@Nazomiah]

Amazing, been waiting for this one. Planning a trip to Nanjing this summer to see Hongwu's Mausoleum. Your video is very timely :D

[@ben-taobeneton3945]

It's been ancient since I last seen HIstory of China content. Glad he's back 😀

[@History_of_China]

Thanks! Sorry for the delay, my hands are a bit tied!

[@ben-taobeneton3945]

@@History_of_China all good 😂

[@capricorn839]

This is a great story telling video. I enjoyed it very much. Thanks to your effort !!

[@Replicaate]

The Emperor has returned!

[@johgi3]

Now this, finally. I've been waiting for something on him that's in depth and isn't costly. Great content, man! Love this stuff

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@ChinaJapanLover]

my second fav dynasty. Thank you so so much, we were all waiting for you

[@History_of_China]

Thanks for your kind words!

[@kae5717]

Great to have another video! Thanks very much for this!

[@History_of_China]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@NSHUTINoble]

THANK YOU!!! U don't know how long I've been searching an ed video about the ming dynasty without finding any good ones. Ps: if u could do one about the silver trade(iwami mine,etc), that'll be awesome.

[@jonasleclerc4250]

i was desperate for a good zhu yuanzhang documentary here he delivers.

[@keiker2254]

The amount of plot armor this guy had is ridiculous 😂

[@royos-yaps]

The two dislikes are from Chen Yuoliang and Toghon Temur

[@YuuSHiiiN]

The visuals have noticeably improved. Well done, and welcome back!

[@History_of_China]

Thanks!

[@CARL_093]

thanks bro its worth of waiting and i will re watch it twice

[@Gorlok_the_destoryer]

I've been waiting for this since high school!

[@AnhNguyen-gk8hu]

man ming dynasty series goes crazy love the work

[@justinianthegreat1444]

Looking forward to another Ming Dynasty video

[@IreneSalmakis]

I've been wanting someone to do a series on the Ming dynasty. It's one of my favorite periods in world history; a time of big ships, big dreams, and big emperors.

[@doreensika837]

Good that you are back. Hope everything is going well. It would be nice if you could post at least once a month cause I really enjoy your content. Emperor Hongwu reminds me so much of Emperor Gaozu of Han. His story is very inspiring. A poor boy from a poor family with no hope crushes the mighty Yuan and ascends the throne to be the Emperor. It’s nothing short of admirable. It’s shame that most dynasty’s always start with strong rulers but they get weaker through out the generations. Great video as always.

[@History_of_China]

Thank you! I'd love to have more time to work on the channel, but my studies take up must of it... I'm planning on creating shorter formats in addition to the long documentaries to post more frequently !

[@doreensika837]

@@History_of_China oh ok. Well your studies should always taken precedence over everything, fortunately you have some loyal followers that enjoy your content so will wait on your uploads. So you do what is best for you. All the best with your studies.

[@Medik_0001]

I was looking for this exact video on your channel before, I'm so happy you made it. You are one of my favourite you tubers. Thank you so much for your content, it's fascinating learning about the history of China as someone from Ireland. Please make a Patreon!

[@History_of_China]

Thank you so much for your comment! I'm glad you enjoy my work 😊 I'm considering making a Patreon, though I haven't made my mind up yet.

[@micahistory]

Dude this is insane, what a fascinating story. i really didn't know any of this. Can't wait for what is next!

[@Harry-qu7vg]

Just letting you know, I believe you've made a mistake at 17:30 where it says that Zhu Sheng lived from 1229-1370. 141 years old would be...remarkable to say the least.

[@History_of_China]

Oops! Thanks for pointing it out. Zhu Sheng was born in 1299. Though living that long to see the Yuan rise and fall would make a pretty interesting life!

[@tkyap2524]

When destiny calls, it will be answered - humble to glorious.

[@numuves]

Amazing work

[@History_of_China]

Thanks!

[@ContentRiceTerrace-qp8we]

I really love your videos, cant wait for the next one!

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@MongolBolgoy]

Whenever he posts it is like christmas

[@magno5157]

Finally! The Ming!

[@Steel657]

Great to have you back my guy, i miss your videos

[@NapsHD]

Amazing documentary! Please keep up the great work by spreading such a virtuous knowledge.

[@History_of_China]

Thanks, I will!

[@MrGreenman447]

I know the Yuan was weak and fighting itself, but it's wild that they never took the chance during all this chaos to try and attack the Ming while they were fighting other foes.

[@crayonsukrou913]

Court intrigue and factionalism within Yuan's rank, which you can watch in previous videos ("Collapse of the Yuan Dynasty"). Many great empires fell due to corruption and internal disunity, including Ming Dynasty itself ~300 years later.

[@龙光-u7g]

元朝在中国的统治不稳固，实力不足以压制汉人，朱元璋更多强大的敌人是汉族军阀，解决完汉族军阀后轻易就把蒙古人赶走了

[@trolllo9729]

One of the best channels dont stop working 💪

[@History_of_China]

Thank you so much! I don't plan to!

[@TimZandbergen]

Happy you are back! Looking forward to the next part.

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@thari_za]

He has returned!

[@AbhyudayaSinh]

Very informative ❤❤, welcome back. Waiting for ming Dynasty history for so long ✨

[@History_of_China]

GLad you enjoyed!

[@AbhyudayaSinh]

@@History_of_China yes enjoyed it very much ❤️❤️

[@GlobalPenguin2012]

Excellent clip….. bravo

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@Matherian2]

Damn man, perfect topic I'm really keen to research. With EU5 in the works and going to be set just before the fall of the Yuan, there's gonna be a lot of grand strategy gamers keen to repeat the success of Zhu Yuanzhang.

[@andreamello5818]

About time! I was beginning to give up on you all making any new videos

[@justsomeguywholikesdavidbo1085]

Good use of clips from historic dramas.

[@bigsaladofficial]

Great to see you again!! I loved this long video and look forward to more

[@History_of_China]

Thank you so much!

[@AGS363]

I have literally been waiting years for this video to drop.

[@thekinghass]

You are in the presence of The emperor ! Kneel !!!

[@Mad_Rad]

Welcome back! We missed your videos.

[@History_of_China]

Thanks for your patience!

[@gabrieljohnnicholasdumanla1768]

Nice new history video 👍

[@History_of_China]

Thanks!

[@widjiro]

My favorite founding Emperor ❤

[@Mastercane98]

Exquisite work, thank you for sharing it with us.

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@Hohenstein1871]

Very good work, mate. A second part about Hongwus' reign would be much appreciated :)

[@History_of_China]

Thank you! It's planned :) I'll tackle it as soon as I finish with reuploading/remastering my Puyi documentaries!

[@Hohenstein1871]

@@History_of_China Nice, from what little I've read about Hongwus' later reign, he apparently did go quite off the rails :o

[@pdruiz2005]

Zhu Chongba is one of the great figures of history. Truly an astounding rise from rags to riches, and from lowly peasant to the most powerful man in the world. Zhu reminds me of Napoleon (though he was a minor noble) and Stalin (now he came from peasant stock). Then there is the incredible Admiral Yi of Korea and Toyotomi Hideyoshi of Japan. Too bad we never learn of these figures in our Western history curricula. So many are quite impressive, the personages one learns when diving into Eastern history.

[@Aurekbeshisk]

I missed your videos. I enjoy them quite a lot.

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@wayonc]

Thank you for the excellent documentary

[@History_of_China]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@ElBandito]

I was led to believe that Battle of Poyang Lake happened when Chen Youliang was at his strongest. Now I see that the battle happened when he was already losing his grip. Also learned the battle happened over several days, instead of a single successful effort.

[@Sauveguy]

There was an earlier emperor who started out as a peasant, Liu Bang who ruled 2,200 years ago. This is remarkable that any country has had 2 emperors that started as peasants!!

[@linuslongayan7649]

ah Han Dynasty and their longest dynasty

[@Winzton4Lif3]

30:45 I assume it was supposed to say 1362, not 1632 lol

[@History_of_China]

Damn! Well spotted 😉 Obviously not 1632, Hong Taiji is not on his way (yet)

[@hiimryan2388]

Ayyyyyy bros back! If past videos stands true then in a few months there should be a series of more videos

[@History_of_China]

Absolutely :)

[@The_Tuareg]

Welcome back mate.

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@TomMaster]

Another brilliant video!!

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@cyberhikikomori5326]

This series on China, long in running, must go on hiatus, long in hiatus must return

[@TheXmeimei]

Are you British or Chinese, you speak these two languages perfectly.

[@History_of_China]

Thank you! I'm half British, half French :) I studied Chinese in school!

[@kgman2635]

Bro no way I just got back from my month trip in china and the king posts

[@Fernando-III]

MING DYNASTY LETS GOOOOO!!

[@abrambenedictsanmiguel4559]

U are back

[@Fjodor.Tabularasa]

Thank you very much for educating me.

[@History_of_China]

I'm glad you enjoy my work :)

[@pyrodude5119]

22:46 What a chad emperor 😂😂

[@History_of_China]

lol

[@maverick2161]

Holy shit, he's back!!

[@Flow86767]

The Cambridge History of China is so costly, they really should make a paperback version of the series… I’ve always used my university access for the PDF versions, but I really hope one day to get one book from the series (mainly the one about the Qing dynasty which I am obsessed about).

[@markusforsberg6741]

Awsome video as always.:D When do you think the next dark episode about Hongwu Emperor will come in late august or close to halloween october.?:)

[@History_of_China]

Thanks Markus! It's hard to tell. I'm still working on my reworking my Puyi videos, but I think I can finish the part 2 this Autumn! I'll do my best!

[@glegos2281]

NEW HISTORY OF CHINA UPLOAD LETS GOOOOO

[@edwardsnowden8821]

great work❤

[@wrathofoni]

By the way, in my opinion, the story of Zhu Yuanzhang's youth and his eventual ascension to the throne of the Ming Dynasty resembles the journey of David until he became the king of Israel in Jerusalem (See about Christian Bible History). Both faced numerous battles and challenges on their way to the throne, which were difficult to overcome. Their childhoods can also be likened to being shepherds.

[@exe2519]

ZHU YUANZHANG THE GOAT 🔥💪

[@nomadic_orthodox]

Just clicked on the video for the algorithm. Going to watch it later.

[@Adolph_shampoo]

Zhu is a legendary man.

[@leozeng8412]

nice work!!

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@alastairpearce8278]

Emperor is back 😢😢😊

[@mollyhuang6466]

先赞后看❤❤

[@esyqm]

The rulers of the yuan Dynasty were Mongols, and the Dynasty was characterized by ethnic discrimination from the very beginning. This also caused widespread hostility among the Han class, so the yuan Dynasty was one of the most short-lived unified Dynasties in Chinese history. The peasant uprising war at the end of the yuan Dynasty had very distinct nationalist characteristics. Zhu Chongba changed his name to Zhu yuanzhang after joining the rebels. The name "Zhu yuanzhang" is pronounced in Chinese, which is homophonic to "the sharp weapon to destroy the yuan Dynasty". He changed his name. In this way, he showed his firm belief in revenge against the Mongols.

[@edsheeranahmet6572]

We're so unbelievably back

[@signoguns8501]

whats the song playing at 35:57? I recognise. Not from HOI4 is it?

[@History_of_China]

It's actually from Total War: Three Kingdoms! The track is named 'The Southlands'.

[@tc2334]

Yes!! Thank you for the update! I recently learned I share a birthday with this guy. 😂

[@losmuajxiong6113]

🐐 is back

[@JS-jh4cy]

Those were the badass days