Zhu Yuanzhang
Born 1328 A.D., Emperor of China 1368 - 1398 A.D.
Copper coins, denominations as follows:
1 cash, 2 cash, 3 cash, 5 cash, 10 cash
22.5 mm, 28.5 mm, 32.5 mm, 39.5 mm, 48 mm.
1368-1398 A.D.
The Ming dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.) was the last native Chinese Dynasty. Bracketed in history by alien dynasties -- the Yuan of the Mongols and the Qing (Ch'ing) of the Manchus -- the Ming dynasty was purely Chinese, and its period of rule brought economic and social stability as well as cultural development..
The founder of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang (Chu Yüan-chang), also known
by his reign name "Hung-wu", came from a poor peasant family.
He was orphaned at the age of 16 and then entered a Buddhist monastery, but
left it in 1352 to join a band of rebels, of which he became
leader. By 1382 he had ended Mongol rule and unified all
China. His reign was marked by the consolidation of imperial power,
agrarian reconstruction, and intimidation of the landed and scholarly elite, a
reflection of his commoner roots.