On Zhu Yuanzhang and the Neo-Confucianism in Early Ming Dynasty

Though Zhu Yuanzhang,the founder of Ming Dynasty,was born in grass-root family,he had strong desires for learning since his early childhood.During his struggle against Yuan Dynasty Zhu managed to make friends with Confucians who,in addition to teaching him literacy and giving advices for national administration,guided him to Confucian doctrines.This led him approaching to Confucianism and laid a foundation for his adoption of Neo-Confucianism advanced by ChengYi and Zhu Xi as the dominant ideologies upon establishment of his Dynasty.His very early decision of dominant ideologies was quite different from those in Han and Song Dynasties when the ideologies would be fixed long after the establishment.Following the suggestion of his minister Xie Jin,Zhu Yuanzhang ordered to exclude non-Confucian theories and fabricate a uniform doctrine framework.Under the imperial decrees and directions of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di,his second successor,compilation of Neo-Confucian classics rolled out in large scales and the major outcomes were Wujing Daquan(Complete Collection and Exegesis of Five Classics),Sishu Daquan(Complete Collection and Exegesis of Four Books) and Xingli Daquan(Complete Works on Nature and Rationality).The compilations finally established the absolute dominance by Neo-Confucianism of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi.However,Zhu Yuanzhang's decision made the Neo-Confucianism in early Ming Dynasty a source of political authority and an instrument for reign.As its academic nature and humanistic spirits were suppressed,Neo-Confucianism lost its vitality and development opportunities and inevitably met its crisis,which provided theoretical foundations for the rise of Wang Yangming's Confucianism.