The Great Ming dynasty（1368-1644）wasa very important period in China'S feudalhistory．Zhu Yuanzhang，the founding emperorof Ming，was a highly legendary figure among the emperors in Chinese history．
Born in the family of a tenant farmer．Zhu Yuanzhang（1328-1398）had only a few months'education under a private tutor be-fore he gave up schooling and began to herdcattle for another family．His home district was then struck by drought，locusts and pestilence，and his parents，brothers and nephews died of illness one after another．As he was unable to make a living at 16，he became a monk，wandered from place to place and lived by begging for alms．This experience in his youthful days enabled him to understand deeply the hardships of life and the sufferings of the people of the lower social stratum．In 1352．when he was 24，he joined with determination the insurgent peasant army against the Yuan regime （1271-1368）．As he was able to read and write and was courageous，intelligent and resou rceful．he was trusted by the leaders ofthe insurgent army．With the help of the elders in his home area，he soon organized an army of his own and battled continually for 17years．After unifying all the insurgent peasantarmies，he succeeded in overthrowing the rule of the Yuan dynasty in the Central Plains and founding the Great Ming dynasty with its capi-tal in Nanjing in 1368．
Zhu Yuanzhang did not like the location of Nanjing because it was on the left side of ariver．He also disliked in particular the Iocation of his palace because it was higher onthe front side and Iower in the back．1n search for a new capital，he traveled to Bianliang（Kaifeng in Henan Province，today），the former capital of the Song dynasty,in the fourth month of the first year of his reign to make an on-the-spot investigation．Although he was not quitesatisfied with Bianliang，he announced on his return to Nanjing that he was to make Bianliangthe northern capital．The following year，the question of moving the capital became once again a subject of discussion．