Zhang Juzheng

Zhang Juzheng
47th Senior Grand Secretary
In office 1572–1582
Monarchs	Longqing Emperor Wanli Emperor
Preceded by	Gao Gong
Succeeded by	Zhang Siwei
Personal details
Born	26 May 1525 Jiajing 4, 5th day of the 5th month (嘉靖四年五月初五日) Jiangling, Huguang
Died	9 July 1582(1582-07-09) (aged 57) Wanli 10, 20th day of the 6th month (萬曆十年六月二十日) Jingshi

Zhang Juzheng (Chinese: 張居正; pinyin: Zhāng Jūzhèng; 26 May 1525 – 9 July 1582), courtesy name Shuda (Chinese: 叔大; pinyin: Shūdà), pseudonym Taiyue (Chinese: 太岳; pinyin: Tàiyuè), was a Chinese politician who served as Senior Grand Secretary (Chinese: 首輔; pinyin: Shǒufǔ) in the late Ming dynasty during the reigns of the Longqing and Wanli emperors. He represented what might be termed the "new Legalism".^[1][2] Aiming to ensure that the gentry worked for the state, one of his chief goals was to reform and rationalize the bureaucracy together with his political rival Gao Gong, who was concerned that offices were providing income with little responsibility. Taking the Hongwu Emperor as standard and ruling as de facto Prime Minister, Zhang's true historical significance comes from his centralization of existing reforms, positioning the reformative agency of the state over that of the gentry—the "Legalist" idea of the sovereignty of the state.^[3]

The Wanli Emperor deeply respected Zhang as a mentor and valued minister. During the first ten years of the Wanli era, the Ming dynasty's economy and military power prospered in a way not seen since the Yongle Emperor and the Rule of Ren and Xuan from 1402 to 1435. However, after Zhang's death, the Wanli Emperor felt free to act independently, and reversed many of Zhang's administrative improvements.