Ming Chengzu

 

Ming Chengzu

Ming Chengzu, was the third Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He took over the throne from his nephew and moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing where he constructed the Forbidden City. He had the Grand Canal of China dredged and reopened to supply the new capital of Beijing with a steady flow of goods from the South. The monumental Yongle Encyclopedia was also completed during his reign.

Ming Chengzu (1360-1424) is also well known for his great decision to commission Zheng He to begin exploratory sea voyages to "the West Sea" known to the Chinese at that time, which was the water near the bank of Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean.