Princess Lin'an

Zhu Jingjing
Princess Lin'an
Born15 December 1360
Died30 July 1421(1421-07-30) (aged 60)
Burial
Tiexinqiao, Yuhuatai, Nanjing
SpouseLi Qi
Issue
FatherHongwu Emperor
MotherNoble Consort Chengmu
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese臨安公主
Simplified Chinese临安公主
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLín'ān Gōngzhǔ
Personal name
Traditional Chinese朱鏡靜
Simplified Chinese朱镜静
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhū Jìngjìng

Princess Lin'an (15 November 1360[a] – 30 July 1421), personal name Zhu Jingjing,[b] was a princess of the Ming dynasty. She was the eldest daughter of the Hongwu Emperor and Noble Consort Chengmu.

Biography

Zhu Jingjing was born on 15 December 1360,[a] as the eldest daughter of Zhu Yuanzhang. Her mother was Zhu Yuanzhang's concubine, Lady Sun (later Noble Consort Chengmu),[2] and she was the full older sister of Princess Huaiqing.[3] At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was based in Nanjing and had emerged as a leading commander of the Red Turban Rebellion, a movement directed against the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The rebellion sought to restore Han Chinese rule after nearly a century of foreign domination. By the 1360s, Zhu Yuanzhang consolidated his conquests, established the Ming dynasty, and proclaimed himself emperor.[4] He is commonly known by his era name as the Hongwu Emperor.[5]

On 26 July 1376, Zhu Jingjing was married to Li Qi, the son of Li Shanchang, Duke of Han, and was granted the title of Princess Lin'an.[6] As this was a time when the marriage protocols for Ming princesses were still being formalized, the ceremony was particularly elaborate: Li Qi first received ceremonial headgear, court robes, and an official commission, followed by a grand procession. Princess Lin'an was praised for her strict observance of the Confucian moral codes expected of imperial women. Li Qi, as the son of a founding statesman and the emperor's eldest son-in-law, enjoyed the Hongwu Emperor's deep trust and was frequently tasked with providing relief in times of flood and drought across the empire.[7]

In 1390, Li Shanchang was implicated in the Hu Weiyong case and executed. Although Li Qi, by virtue of his marriage, was spared from execution, he was stripped of his rank and exiled to Jiangpu (modern Pukou, Nanjing). Princess Lin'an chose to accompany her husband into exile, where he eventually died.[c] Their sons were granted immunity from punishment.[9]

On 30 July 1421, Princess Lin'an died at the age of 60. Her elder brother, the Yongle Emperor, mourned her deeply, suspending court sessions for four days.[10] Her tomb, discovered in May 2018 in Tiexinqiao Subdistrict of Yuhuatai District, Nanjing,[2] was recognized in September 2023 as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection site.[11]

Notes

  1. ^ a b The "Epitaph of Princess Lin'an" records that she was born on the 7th day of the 10th month in the Gengzi year. This date corresponds to 15 December 1360 on the Julian calendar.
  2. ^ According to the "Epitaph of Princess Lin'an", the princess's personal name was recorded as Zhu Jingjing.[2]
  3. ^ The History of Ming contains conflicting accounts regarding the death of Li Qi. The "Biography of Princess Lin'an" states that Li Qi died before his father, Li Shanchang, was executed in the Hu Weiyong case.[8] However, the "Biography of Li Shanchang" records that Li Qi was still alive when his father was executed for his involvement in the case, subsequently moving with Princess Lin'an to Jiangpu, where he died years later.[1]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c History of Ming, vol. 127, p. 3772.
  2. ^ a b c Zhu, Zhongxiu; Wang, Ni; Qi, Haining (21 June 2019). "南京发现明初怀庆公主墓临安公主墓" [Discovery of the Tombs of Princess Huaiqing and Princess Lin'an from the Early Ming dynasty in Nanjing]. China Culture Relics Newspaper (in Chinese). China Cultural Relics News Agency. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  3. ^ Veritable Records of Xuanzong, vol. 3.
  4. ^ Tsai (2002), pp. 20–21.
  5. ^ Chan, David B. "Hongwu". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  6. ^ Veritable Records of Taizu, vol. 100.
  7. ^ History of Ming, vol. 121, pp. 3662–3663.
  8. ^ History of Ming, vol. 121, p. 3663.
  9. ^ History of Ming, vol. 127, pp. 3772–3773.
  10. ^ Veritable Records of Taizong, vol. 239.
  11. ^ Nanjing Municipal People's Government (14 September 2023). "市政府关于公布第五批市级文物保护单位的通知" [Notice of the Municipal Government on the Announcement of the Fifth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units]. Nanjing Municipal People's Government Bulletin (in Chinese).

Works cited

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