Zhang Juzheng
Zhang Juzheng | |
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Senior Grand Secretary | |
In office 1572–1582 | |
Monarchs | Longqing Emperor Wanli Emperor |
Preceded by | Gao Gong |
Succeeded by | Zhang Siwei |
Personal details | |
Born | 26 May 1525 Jiajing 4, 5th day of the 5th month (嘉靖四年五月初五日) Jiangling, Huguang |
Died | 9 July 1582 Wanli 10, 20th day of the 6th month (萬曆十年六月二十日) Jingshi | (aged 57)
Zhang Juzheng | |
---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin | Zhāng Jūzhèng |
Wade–Giles | Chang1 Chü1–cheng4 |
IPA | [ʈʂáŋ tɕýʈʂə̂ŋ] |
Zhang Juzheng (
The
Biography
Early career
Zhang Juzheng was born in Jiangling County, in modern–day Jingzhou, Hubei province, in 1525, and was renowned for his intelligence at an early age, passing the county shengyuan examinations at the age of 12 and enrolling for the provincial juren examinations the next year, where the chief examiner failed him to prevent his becoming complacent. Finally, in 1547, he passed the imperial examination and was appointed as an editor in the Hanlin Academy.
Zhang was embroiled in deep political turmoil from the start of his career, owing to the factionalism prevalent in the Ming bureaucracy at the time. He was one of few officials who had cordial relations with both Yan Song and Xu Jie, the leaders of the respective factions, but eventually assisted Xu in overthrowing Yan Song. Subsequently, under Xu's patronage, Zhang became a Privy Secretary in 1567, outlasting Xu himself and sharing power with his political rival Gao Gong. In 1572, shortly after the accession of the Wanli Emperor, Gao was ejected from office by Zhang and his ally, the eunuch Feng Bao, on charges that he had questioned the ability of the child emperor to rule. This left Zhang as the sole Grand Secretary, in effect controlling the entire Ming bureaucracy during the first ten years of the Wanli era.
As Senior Grand Secretary
Zhang's reforms consisted primarily of fiscal measures in order to address the persistent revenue shortages that plagued the government. At the same time, laws were instituted from 1573 onwards to tighten monitoring and assessment of officials, in an attempt to restore discipline to an increasingly corrupt bureaucracy. Other major measures included the large–scale retrenchment of officials to achieve savings, as well as efforts to reclaim tax–exempt lands and expand the revenue base. In 1580 the single whip law was instituted, commuting all taxes and labour obligations into silver payments, while an empire–wide land survey was also ordered.
In military affairs, Zhang promoted and supported competent generals such as Qi Jiguang in order to strengthen the empire's northern borders.
Zhang also played a very important role as mentor and regent during the early years of the reign of the
Zhang's fiscal policies met with only mixed success, due to the institutional resistance to his reforms. While the fiscal situation of the imperial government was much improved, and the coffers were refilled with silver, most of the reforms he instituted either failed to achieve their aims, such as the empire-wide land survey, or were quickly discarded after his death in 1582. At the same time, his luxurious lifestyle—which included meals with over a hundred dishes, and a
After his death, Zhang's political opponents quickly accused him and his supporter Feng Bao of several major charges, including corruption, embezzlement, and factionalism (党争). As a result, his family was purged and his wealth and estate confiscated on the Wanli Emperor's orders, while several of his political allies were forced to retire. Zhang's reputation would only be rehabilitated more than half a century later, just before the downfall of the Ming dynasty.
Zhang's commentary on the "Four Books"
In 1573, Zhang presented the Wanli Emperor with a commentary on the
In the assessment of modern scholars (e.g. D.E. Mungello), Zhang's commentary was, in its content and meaning, not that different from the commentary written by
Literature
Zhang Juzheng (Chang Chü–cheng) is an important character in Ray Huang's 1587, a Year of No Significance, a documentary book on the period. Zhang is also a main character in Chinese television series Ming Dynasty in 1566.
See also
- Grand Secretary
External links
References
- ^ H. Miller 2009 p.28. State versus Gentry in Late Ming Dynasty China, 1572–1644
- ISBN 978-1-135-36748-0.
- ^ H. Miller 2009 p.28. State versus Gentry in Late Ming Dynasty China, 1572–1644
- ISBN 0-8248-1219-0.
- ^ Mungello, p. 270