Xuande Reign|The Palace Museum

Timeline of the Ming & Qing Palace Events

People / ReignYear: Hongwu Reign1368; Jianwen Reign1399; Yongle Reign1403; Hongxi Reign1425; Xuande Reign1426; Zhengtong Reign1436; Jingtai Reign1450; Tianshun Reign1457; Chenghua Reign1465; Hongzhi Reign1488; Zhengde Reign1506; Jiajing Reign1522; Longqing Reign1567; Wanli Reign1572; Nurhaci1616; Taichang Reign1620; Tianqi Reign1621; Hong Taiji1626; Chongzhen Reign1628; Shunzhi Reign1644; Kangxi Reign1662; Yongzheng Reign1723; Qianlong Reign1736; Jiaqing Reign1796; Daoguang Reign1821; Xianfeng Reign1851; Tongzhi Reign1862; Guangxu Reign1875; Xuantong Reign1909

Key Events
Emperor
Empress(es)

Introductory Matters
In this imperial chronology, each year is listed according to the Chinese lunar calendar with traditional notations for each year (e.g., jiashen) followed by the internationally recognized Gregorian calendar year (e.g., 1644) that approximately corresponds to the given lunar year. Information on the imperial reign is listed with each calendar year. Specific events are listed after a title denoting the lunar month (e.g., 1st Month) in which they occurred.

Ages of historical figures are given as traditionally calculated by the Chinese lunar calendar. This traditional way of counting a person's age uses the word sui (year of age). The word conveys how many lunar years—even if only for a few days or months—an individual has experienced in life.

Chinese names are shown in the conventional Chinese order with the surname (family name) followed by the given name. When possible, Manchu names are rendered according to the Möllendorff system of transliteration (Romanization). If the original Manchu name is unknown, the name is shown with a hyphenated version of the transliterated Chinese name. Some Jurchen and Manchu figures are more commonly known by their Chinese names; in those cases, the Chinese name is used. Official titles and imperial institutions are rendered according to Charles O. Hucker's A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China (Stanford, 1985) when possible.

The Reign of the Xuande Emperor (approx. 1426–1435)

Bingwu Year (approx. 1426)
Xuande Reign, 1st Year

8th Month:
Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han, rises in revolt. The Xuande Emperor personally leads a campaign against this sedition and besieges the rebel stronghold of Le’an (in present-day Shandong Province). The Prince of Han submits to defeat and confesses to treason. He and his family are sent to the northern capital and confined in a dwelling in the southwestern area of the imperial palace. Over six hundred and forty accomplices are sentenced to death and the rest are banished to the frontier.

Dingwei Year (approx. 1427)
Xuande Reign, 2nd Year

11th Month:
Zhu Qizhen, the eldest son of the emperor, is born to the honored consort, née Sun. She is excessively favored by the emperor for the birth of the son. According to the Comprehensive Mirror of the Ming (Ming tongjian), this child was actually the son of a palace woman that the honored consort surreptitiously took as her own.

Wushen Year (approx. 1428)
Xuande Reign, 3rd Year

2nd Month:
The emperor installs Zhu Qizhen as his heir apparent. The empress, née Hu, requests to demit her position. The emperor accompanies the empress dowager to visit the Western Garden and climb the Hill of Myriad Years (Wansui shan) to celebrate her longevity.

3rd Month:
The empress, née Hu, demits her position and resides in the Palace of Eternal Peace (Chang’an gong). The honored consort, née Sun, is elevated as empress.

8th Month:
The emperor is accompanied by Jian Yi and Yang Rong on his inspection of the north, which is a measure taken against possible northern revolts. The second son of the emperor, Zhu Qiyu, is born to Lady Wu, also known as Consort Xian (Xian fei, lit. “Worthy Consort”).

Jiyou Year (approx. 1429)
Xuande Reign, 4th Year

4th Month:
The emperor visits the confined Prince of Han but is deliberately shamed by the vengeful prince. The furious emperor orders his men to place the errant prince in a large bronze vat, which is then heated and used to burn the prince to death. All his sons are subsequently executed.

10th Month:
The emperor conducts military training on the outskirts of the capital and hunts at Yukou.

Gengxu Year (approx. 1430)
Xuande Reign, 5th Year

2nd Month:
On the day of Pure Brightness Festival (Qingming jie, also called Tomb Sweeping Day), the emperor, accompanied by the empress dowager, worships at the Chang Tomb (the Yongle Emperor’s tomb) and the Xian Tomb (the Hongxi Emperor’s tomb). The emperor rides a horse and leads the way for the empress dowager. Upon reaching the Qinghe Bridge, the emperor dismounts and leads his horse to a peasant family's home. The empress dowager tries the food and wine and says, “An emperor should know the taste of the countryside.”

6th Month:
The emperor instructs Zheng He to take another maritime expedition.

Renzi Year (approx. 1432)
Xuande Reign, 7th Year

8th Month:
A man shouts what are considered defamatory words outside the West Prosperity Gate (Xihua men). Guards apprehend him, and he is taken to see the emperor. He continues his shouting his views. Court officials request the man be sent to the judiciary office. The emperor says, "Ancient Sage Rulers never accused slanderous subjects. How could I convict such a man? Release him."

Jiayin Year (approx. 1434)
Xuande Reign, 9th Year

3rd Month:
State ministers greet the heir apparent at the Hall of Literary Brilliance (Wenhua dian). The heir apparent is but eight years old (in sui).

9th Month:
The emperor says: “Although all is well in Our realm, We ought not neglect military preparedness.” He personally leads an inspection army accompanied by Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Yang Pu, and Hu Ying and returns in the tenth month.

12th Month:
The emperor falls ill.

Yimao Year (approx. 1435)
Xuande Reign, 10th Year

1st Month:
The emperor's illness prohibits him from attending audiences. He orders court officials to assemble and report to the heir apparent in the Hall of Literary Brilliance (Wenhua dian). On the third day, the emperor dies in the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing gong) at the age of thirty-eight (in sui). His final testament reads, “Crucial state affairs shall be reported to the empress dowager. The heir apparent Zhu Qizhen shall ascend to the throne, with the following year as the first year of his Zhengtong reign.”
The heir apparent is merely nine years old (in sui). A rumor spreads saying the empress dowager intends for the Prince of Xiang to claim the throne. Grand Secretaries Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong lead a group of court officials to the imperial palace to greet the heir apparent in the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing gong). The empress dowager soon arrives, declaring the heir apparent to be the new emperor. Officials immediately pay homage to Zhu Qizhen. The rumor is put to rest. On the eleventh day, the construction of the Xuande Emperor's tomb begins. On the twenty-fifth day, the posthumous title and the temple name of the late Xuande Emperor are designated.

2nd Month:
The empress dowager is elevated as grand empress dowager. The widowed empress is named empress dowager. At times, officials request the dowager to attend to state affairs from behind a screen, but she refuses. She defers negligible matters, has the palace cleared of recreational items, and exhorts the newly enthroned emperor to be studious. Crucial state affairs sent to the dowager are delivered to the Grand Secretariat by her order and await implementation after discussion by Yang Shiqi and other grand secretaries. On the ninth day, the emperor’s younger brother Zhu Qiyu is designated as the Prince of Cheng.

3rd Month:
Over 3,800 music performers from the Music Office are discharged.
More than 17,000 forced laborers are freed.

6th Month:
The late Xuande Emperor is buried at the Jing Tomb (Jingling, with ling meaning tomb).

9th Month:
The eunuch Wang Zhen is designated as the Directorate of Ceremonial. In his youth, he was elected to attend the Eunuch School and later served the emperor in the Eastern Palace, craftily earning the sovereign's favor.

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Translated and edited by Li Yang, Zhuang Ying, Adam J. Ensign, et al.

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The Xuande Emperor (r. 1426-1435)

The Xuande Emperor, Zhu Zhanji (temple name Emperor Xuanzong), was the eldest son of Emperor Renzong, the Hongxi Emperor Zhu Gaochi (r. 1425), and his chief consort née Zhang. The Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-1424) showed marked affection towards this grandson. Therefore, in 1411, soon after his father had been designated heir apparent, Zhu Zhanji was formally installed by the emperor as imperial grandson. The Yongle Emperor took him on his second Mongolian campaign and ordered the boy be instructed in Confucian letters and government by Hanlin Academicians. Some people believe that it was out of his affection toward Zhu Zhanji that the Yongle Emperor installed Zhu Gaochi as heir apparent in spite of his obvious lack of confidence in him. In the summer of 1425, the Hongxi Emperor fell ill and died in the following day in the Hall of Imperial Peace (Qin’an dian). Zhu Zhanji formally ascended the throne as the Xuande Emperor.

During the ten years of the Xuande reign, the “three Yangs” (Yang Shiqi [1365-1444], Yang Rong [1371-1440], and Yang Pu [1372-1446]) along with Minister Jian Yi (1364-1435) and Xia Yuanji (1366-1430) formed a steady if slightly conservative nucleus to assist the new emperor in government affairs. Upon his enthronement, he was immediately confronted by his uncle Zhu Gaoxu’s rebellion. In 1417 (the fifteenth year of the Yongle reign), the emperor uncovered the Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu’s conspiracy against the heir apparent and banished him from the capital to a small fief in Le’an (today’s Huimin, Shandong province). In the fall of 1426 (eighth lunar month of the first year of the Xuande reign), shortly after the Xuande Emperor was enthroned, the Prince of Han made an attempt to repeat the earlier rebellion of the Prince of Yan against the Jianwen Emperor (r. 1399-1402). At the urging of his officials such as the “Three Yangs”, the Xuande Emperor took personal command of an expedition to Le’an to quell the uprising. To consolidate imperial authority, he reduced Zhu Gaoxu to commoner status and imprisoned him in Beijing.

In order to relieve the state from military burdens, the Xuande Emperor abolished the Yongle Emperor’s military policies towards Annam which aimed at annexation of this neighboring state; he ordered a complete withdrawal of the Chinese occupation armies and restored Annam’s independence. This decision removed the serious financial and military burden imposed by these futile operations. It also contributed to the restoration of Annam’s relations with the Chinese empire.

Following his father’s policies of retrenchment, the Xuande Emperor brought significant administrative changes and institutional development. He dismissed delinquent officials who could not live up to their responsibilities. Under his rule, many government institutions were streamlined and capable and competent court officials were dispatched to fill posts in local administrations such as prefect (zhifu). The emperor also reformed the system of provincial governorship. He formalized the appointment of Grand Coordinator in some important provinces and later in vital areas of defense on the northern frontiers, mainly to maintain fiscal order on the local level.

Meanwhile, he strictly limited the number of officials, appointed officials through recommendation and through evaluation of their popularity and efficiency. He responded promptly to droughts, floods and epidemics by implementing various remedial measures to stricken regions, such as tax remission and restoration of refugees to work. His relief measures contributed substantially to the social stability during his reign.

A highly-cultured ruler, the Xuande Emperor was also known for his indulgence in hunting, cricket-fighting, and other diversions. Several paintings by his own hand and some court paintings depicting his entertainments can be found in the Palace Museum collection, such as Zhuge Liang (181-234) in Repose, Auspicious Beginning of a New Year, Hunting (later renamed The Ming Emperor Xuanzong Hunting) and Enjoying Pleasure (later renamed The Ming Emperor Xuanzong Enjoying Himself).

At the beginning of 1435 (the tenth year of the Xuande reign), shortly after Spring Festival (the third day of the first lunar month), the Xuande Emperor died in the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing gong) at the age of thirty-eight sui. He was canonized as Zhang Huangdi (literally “Distinguished Emperor”). With the temple name Xuanzong (literally “Penetrating Ancestor”), he is buried in Reverence Mausoleum (Jing ling) in Changping on the outskirts of Beijing.

Lady Sun, Empress Xiaogong of the Xuande Emperor (r. 1426-1435)

Introduction: Lady Sun was brought up in the Ming palace. She adopted a son of a lady-in-waiting, gaining her the position of the primary consort of the Xuande Emperor (r. 1426-1435). Whether as a consort or an empress dowager, she received favor and honor.

Lady Sun (? -1462) was the daughter of a low-ranking official in Shandong province. As a pretty teenage girl, she was adopted by the chief wife of the crown prince of the Yongle Emperor, and later she was given to Zhu Zhanji, the future Xuande Emperor (r. 1426-1435). According to Ming dynasty court law, only the emperor’s primary consort had a seal certifying her position. But Lady Sun was so much in favor that she was bestowed a seal, too. Hence, since the Xuande reign, consorts could have seals.

The empress of the Xuande Emperor, Lady Hu, had no sons; neither did Lady Sun. But Sun secretly adopted a son who later became the Zhengtong Emperor (r. 1436-1449). Sun’s efforts had gained her even more favor. Feeling the threat from Lady Sun, the empress Hu asked to be allowed to retire, a wise device to save face and to maintain her reputation. In 1428 the Xuande Emperor removed Lady Hu and elevated Lady Sun to Empress.

In 1435 the Xuande Emperor died. Sun’s adopted son Zhu Qizhen succeeded to the throne as the Zhengtong Emperor. Thus Lady Sun was venerated as Empress Dowager. In 1449, the emperor was captured by the Mongolian Oirat troops. During the year he was held by the enemy, Lady Sun sent cotton clothing to him. After his capture, his younger brother ascended the throne as the Jingtai Emperor. When Xuande was released in 1450, he was put under house arrest. Lady Sun, still the empress dowager, visited him many times. In 1457 with the Jingtai ailing, with the support of his old subordinates in the military, and with the empress dowager’s approval, Zhu Qizhen quietly planned to resume rule. In the first lunar month of 1457 Zhu Qizhen re-ascended the throne as the Tianshun Emperor, and granted the empress dowager a special title. It was from this time that palace ladies while still alive could have titles of honor.

Lady Sun died in 1462. No one knows who was the biological mother of the Zhengtong Emperor.