A collection of studies that focuses on the person and the image of Ming Taizu, the founder of the Ming dynasty, and a powerful, brutal and autocratic emperor who has had a significant impact not only in late imperial China, but also in East Asia, over the last six centuries.
Published in 1999. A common theme linking these papers is that of the interaction of élite and popular traditions, as found in the writings and folktales of Yuan and Ming China.
This title was first published in 1980.