Ming Taizu (r. 1368-98) and the Foundation of the Ming Dynasty in China

Contents: Preface; The 'Song' dynasty legacy: symbolism and legitimation from Han Liner to Zhu Yuanzhang on the Ming dynasty; Naqacu the grand marshall, a Mongol warlord in Manchuria during the Yuan-Ming transition; Two Ming biographies: the Crazy Chou Immortal and the Iron-Cap Taoist; Ming T'ai-tsu's manipulation of letters: myth and reality of literary persecution; Ming Taizu's 'placards' on harsh regulations and punishments revealed in Gu Qiyuan's Kezuo zhuiyu; Ming Taizu's problem with his sons: Prince Qin's criminality and early-Ming politics; The making of a myth: Liu Ji's fictionalization in the Yinglie zhuan and its sequel; Legitimating usurpation: historical revisions under the Ming Yongle emperor (r.1402-1424); Index.