The founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, whose life was full of ups and downs, became a household name. He ate grass roots in Jiangxi caves, worked as a beggar in Yingtianfu, and once became a bandit leader with strong martial arts. In the end, with extraordinary wisdom and courage, he laid down a Ming Dynasty with a golden iron horse. The story of this founding monarch is naturally widely spread. As for his birthplace, there have always been three places of Jiashan, Xuyi, and Fengyang. So, where is Zhu Yuanzhang's real birthplace? How did he get through those first few years? What is the mystery? Let's cut through the fog and find out.
1. Whose hometown has an emperor?
The theory of Zhu Yuanzhang's birthplace has been passed down since ancient times. The theory of Jiashan has a long history, which can be traced back to the end of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, local literati wrote articles in the Chuxian area, clearly pointing out that Zhu Yuanzhang was "born in Jiashan and grew up in Fengyang". As soon as this remark came out, it aroused widespread attention in Anhui Shilin. Xia Yurun, an expert in Ming history, visited Jiashan for a field trip and wrote the book "Fengyang Ancient and Modern", which directly pointed out that Zhu Yuanzhang was born in Zhaofu Village, Mingdong Township, Jiashan.
In addition, Xuyi's theory is also deeply rooted. According to the history of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestor was originally a golden household in the Yuan Dynasty and lived in Jurong for the first time. Due to the depletion of the gold mines, he could not pay taxes, so he moved to Xuyi. After Zhu Chuyi's death, he was buried on the side of the ancestral mausoleum of Xuyi Ming, and Zhu Yuanzhang's father also grew up in Xuyi. The foundation of the Zhu family is planted in this hot land.
Fengyang's theory has its own origin. Legend has it that Fengyang folk have passed a slip of the tongue since ancient times: "Fengyang has a Zhu Emperor". This statement must not be groundless, after Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, if he was not born in Fengyang, he would have been dismissed as a fallacy. Another local chronicle recorded: "In the sixteenth year of Hongwu, Taizu's edict to the household department mentioned 'Fengyang, the hometown of me'. It can be seen that Fengyang has a close relationship with the Zhu family.
The three places have their own opinions, and they are inconsistent. Or as Zhu Yuanzhang's edict said: "Yu was born in Linhao and rebelled in Xixiang." "Where did Lin Haoyi say it from? What was Zhu Yuanzhang's childhood life like? I'm afraid we still need to go back to the source and find out.
2. Tracing back to the roots
If you want to explore the mystery of Zhu Yuanzhang's origin, you must start with his lineage and family origins. According to the history of the Ming Dynasty, the Zhu family lived in the Huainan area for generations. The ancestors were originally gold households in the Yuan Dynasty, but due to the depletion of local gold mines, they were unable to pay taxes, forcing Zhu Chuyi's family to move south to the Xuyi area to make a living.
It can be seen that the Zhu family has a deep relationship with Xuyi. If you come to Xuyi today, you can see that there is a huge cemetery standing in the west of the city, which is the Ming Ancestral Mausoleum. This imperial mausoleum was built in the early Ming Taizu period, and it was erected for the burial of Zhu Yuanzhang's great-great-great-grandfather and great-grandfather. Later, due to flooding, it was once in disrepair and barren. It was not until the Kangxi period that it was renovated, and the scale was large, and it could be called the first water mausoleum in the world.
It can be seen from the remains of the cemetery that the Zhu family has taken root in Xuyi for a long time. According to the records of "Dili Xuyi County Chronicle", Zhu Yuanzhang's birthplace is "Yuelonggang", on the northeast slope of Zhaofu Village. Up to now, there is still a stone tablet there, that is, "Yuelonggang Tablet", which was originally erected in the 30th year of Wanli to commemorate Zhu Yuanzhang's meritorious service. Although the stele is mutilated and the handwriting is worn, the ingenuity of the stone-carvers can still be seen.
If you go west along the way and cross the Huai River, you will be Mingguang County not far away. This small city has never been very famous, and it is not until recent years that some cultural relics and monuments have been excavated one after another, which has attracted the attention of outsiders. Among them, there are quite representative, there are land temple, Erlang temple, fragrant flower stream and so on. Although the names of these places are unknown, many stories and rumors about Zhu Yuanzhang are widely circulated in the local countryside.
For example, the theory that Zhu Yuanzhang was born in the Land Temple, the theory that he bathed in the fragrant flower stream, or the theory that his mother was given birth smoothly by the monk who presided over the Erlang Temple when he had a difficult birth, all have a deep relationship with the small city of Mingguang. From here, it can be seen whether Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestors have lived in this area.
3. Anecdotes of country folk songs
explores the mystery of Zhu Yuanzhang's origin, and folk rumors and dramas are excellent evidence. In the case of Fengyang, the local ancestors passed down a passage: "Fengyang has a Zhu Emperor, pushing the sky with both hands, and grabbing the sun as a ball." Although this is an exaggeration, it reflects that Zhu Yuanzhang is a household name and has a lofty status in the Fengyang area.
Then there is the local story of "Zhu Taizu was born in the Land Temple". Legend has it that on that day, two children passed by the land temple to take shelter from the rain, and suddenly heard bursts of crying, looking back but seeing the red light in the temple. It turned out to be when Zhu Yuanzhang was born. This statement is unfounded, but it vividly depicts the poverty and depravity of the Zhu family, who had to give birth in the temple as a last resort.
Another version of the story is related to Mingguang County. There is a similar saying in Mingguang Xianghuajian, but the delivery room has been changed from a temple to a farmhouse tiled house on the bank of Xianghuajian. Or someone has difficulty in childbirth and rings the bell to call for help, and the abbot of Erlang Temple urgently uses magic to make the mother and child safe. All kinds of bizarre and bizarre theories are often accompanied by worship and deification, showing the people's admiration for the founding emperor.
In addition to drama stories, descriptions of Zhu Yuanzhang's origins are also common in some local opera works. For example, the Fengyang Flower Drum Opera "Wishing for a Son to Become a Buddha" tells the story of Zhu Yuanzhang's 14-month pregnancy before he was born, and he could only beg for food because of his poor family, and he had to give birth after several hardships. Although this part of the plot is inevitably a bit exaggerated, it can be seen that the Zhu family lives in poverty.
In general, these folk literary works vividly reflect some details of Zhu Yuanzhang's origin, coupled with the relics of various ruins, which seem to provide strong confirmation that he was born in Fengyang and Mingguang. However, it is difficult to make a clear conclusion from the drama and folk songs alone, and it is still necessary to combine the authoritative records of the official historical documents to clarify the mystery of the origin.
Fourth, there are many doubts in the history books
To explore the mystery of Zhu Yuanzhang's origin, we can't bypass the official historical record. However, the records on this issue in the history of the Ming Dynasty are often inconsistent and full of doubts.
According to the "Records of Ming Taizu", in the second year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Wei Su, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, to write the "Imperial Tomb Tablet" for him, which clearly recorded that Zhu Yuanzhang was born in Yu County, Huai'an Prefecture. However, the name of the county no longer exists, and it is suspected to be a corner of Huaiyin City, Jiangsu Province today.
Looking at the "History of the Imperial Palace" written by Zhu Yuanzhang during his reign, it is recorded that "the emperor was born in Haozhou". And the Haozhou is from the "Water Scripture Note", which is mostly interpreted today as referring to the area around Fengyang. According to the "History of the Ming Dynasty • Taizu Benji", Zhu Yuanzhang "once said to the villagers: 'Haozhou, is my hometown'", and his words can be corroborated by Fengyang's statement.
However, there are contradictions in the canonical history. As recorded in the "History of the Ming Dynasty", the birthplace of Zhu Yuanzhang's sons is recorded, but there are Yuxian, Jinlu, Lingbi, Hongxian and other places. The rhetoric is quite inconsistent, making it difficult to judge where the Zhu family originated.
More exciting details, according to the "Ming History Chronicle", not long after Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, Zhang Shicheng publicly accused Zhu Yuanzhang of "being born in Haoliang". As soon as Zhang's words came out, Zhu Yuanzhang's place of origin was actually pointed out as the Haoliang area. However, Zhu Yuanzhang himself has never publicly refuted it, which shows that his origin is indeed suspicious.
In addition, there is a well-circulated anecdote. According to legend, when Zhu Yuanzhang first established the national name, the people of the Chinese scholar asked for "the national name is Ming". But then some old ministers questioned: "Your Majesty was born in Linhao, how can you make it clear?" As soon as these words came out, the Ming Dynasty temporarily stopped and changed its name for several months. It was not until Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial pen that he wrote "Yu was born in Linhao and rebelled in Xixiang", and the name of Linhao had to match the name of the Ming Dynasty. Although this detail is difficult to verify, it can be seen that there were many doubts about Zhu's origin at that time.
Fifth, the origin of the three places is covered with doubts
Jiashan, Xuyi, and Fengyang, these three places have their own opinions, and they all consider themselves to be the birthplace of Zhu Yuanzhang. So which one is more credible? Let's break them down one by one.
Let's start with Xuyi. Xuyi does have a relationship with the Zhu family, which can be seen from Zhu Chuyi's relocation here. There is a direct record in the history of the Ming Dynasty, pointing out that Zhu Yuanzhang's great-grandparents were all born in Xuyi. However, Zhu Yuanzhang himself was born here, but there is no direct and conclusive record. Even if there is the ancestral mausoleum of the old Zuo Ming of the Zhu family, it is only the mausoleum of Zhu Yuanzhang's great-great-grandfather and great-grandfather, not the place where Zhu Yuanzhang's biological parents were buried. Therefore, this alone cannot be used as conclusive proof of Zhu Yuanzhang's birthplace.
Let's look at Feng Yangzhi's statement. In terms of geographical location, it is indeed related to Haozhou, Linhao and other places. There are also many records in the history of the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Yuanzhang villagers regard this as the hometown of the Zhu family. However, further research found that the records of Zhu Yuanzhang's birthplace in the Ming history were inconsistent, and there were even cases where Yuxian, Jinlu and other places were clearly marked, making it difficult to judge the credibility.
In contrast, Jiashan's theory is the most reliable. First of all, some literati of the Ming Dynasty have already pointed out that Zhu Yuanzhang was "born in Jiashan and grew up in Fengyang". Secondly, according to the local inscriptions and documents, Zhu Yuanzhang's birthplace is clearly Zhaofu Village in the Jiashan area. Moreover, although the name of Zhaofu Village no longer exists, from the geographical point of view, it is extremely close to Yuxian County and Fengyang, which may be caused by the confusion of later history books.
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Of course, neither of these statements can be completely conclusive. After all, there are contradictions in the historical records of the Ming Dynasty, and the research work has not yet been thorough. However, judging from the existing clues, the credibility of Jiashan's theory seems to be higher. And if you want to find out Zhu Yuanzhang's true origin, I am afraid that you need to further study the evidence.