Zhu Quan


Zhu Quan, Prince of Ning was the 17th son of Ming Hongwu Emperor. During his life, he served as a military commander, feudal lord, historian, and playwright. He is also remembered as a great tea connoisseur, a zither player, and composer.

Other names

In addition to Prince of Ning, Zhu Quan was also known as the Strange Scholar of the Great Ming. As part of his Taoist attempts to avoid death, he adopted the aliases the Emaciated Immortal, the "Master who Encompasses Emptiness", "Taoist of the Mysterious Continent" or " Taoist of the Mysterious Island", and "Perfected Gentleman of the Marvelous Way of the Unfathomable Emptiness of the Southern Pole".

History

Zhu Quan was initially a military commander in service to his father, the Hongwu Emperor who founded the Ming dynasty. He was granted the frontier fief of Ning with his capital at Daning in present-day Chifeng, Inner Mongolia in 1391. He was famous for his mastery of art and war and played an important role during the unrest surrounding the ascension of his teenage nephew, Jianwen Emperor, in 1399.
Under the advice of his Confucian advisors, the Jianwen Emperor summoned his uncle to an audience in the imperial capital Nanjing. Wary of the emperor's intentions, as other uncles were demoted or executed the same year, Zhu Quan refused and lost three of his divisions for insubordination.
Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, was preparing for his own uprising against the emperor and considered it a major point to neutralize Zhu Quan, a talented leader of well-trained troops located behind his lines. Taking advantage of Wu Gao's attack on Yongping near modern Shanhaiguan, the Prince of Yan after crushing Wu Gao's force rode hastily to Daning and feigned defeat and distress. After several days, his forces were in position and successfully captured Zhu Quan as he was seeing his brother off. The official history of the Ming records Daning's evacuation, with Zhu Quan's harem and courtiers removed to Songtingguan and the prince himself kept in the Yan capital at Beiping, but passes over Zhu Di's setting of the entire city to the torch and the destruction of Zhu Quan's extensive library.
From that point, Zhu Quan assisted his brother in his uprising, with the History of Ming recording that the Prince of Yan offered to split the entire empire between them. After his elevation as the Yongle Emperor in 1402, however, he swiftly reneged and refused to appoint his brother to lordship over Suzhou or Qiantang, instead giving him a choice only of backwater appointments. He settled upon Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi. After a scare where he was accused of practicing wugu sorcery, Zhu Quan essentially retired from any interference with the realm, devoting his time instead to cultural pursuits.
Meeting daily with local or visiting scholars, he pursued immortality. He treasured and revised his Secret Book of Origins, a text which survived the fire of Daning and sharply attacked Buddhism as a foreign "mourning cult" at odds with Chinese culture and proper governance. His encyclopedia of Taoism, the Most Pure and Precious Books on the Way of August Heaven, was so esteemed it joined the Taoist canon. His brother ordered him to complete the Comprehensive Mirror of Extensive Essays and was also credited with writing Family Advice, Ceremonial Customs of the Country of Ning, The Secret History of the Han and Tang, History Breaks Off, a Book of Essays, a Book of Poetry, and several other annotated anthologies. His most successful was his Tea Manual. In addition, he personally funded the publication of many rare books and composed several operas.
Zhu Quan is an important figure in the history of the Chinese zither, or guqin, for his compilation of the important Manual of the Mysterious and Marvellous in 1425. This is the earliest known large scale collection of qin scores to have survived to the present day.

Family

Consort

1. Zhu Panshi, Hereditary Prince Zhuanghui, posthumously as Prince Hui of Ning, created as Hereditary Prince of Ning in April 1403. He was married to a daughter of Yu Sheng, Eastern Military Forces Commander as Hereditary Princess Consort of Ning in March 1417.
2. Unnamed, died young.
3. Zhu Panye, Commentary Prince Kangxi of Linchuan. He married to daughter of Huang Fu, Northern Military Forces Commander in July 1425, then married to Wang Xing's daughter in May 1455. Demoted as Commoner in 1461.
4. Zhu Panyao, Commentary Prince Anjian of Yichun. Born in September 1414, title created in July 1428. He married a daughter of Liu Xun, Jinwu Guard Commander in October 1430. He died in July 1492 when he was 79, his mother was Lady Wang.
5. Zhu Panzhu, Commentary Prince Anxi of Xinchang. Born in October 1419, title created in October 1430. He married to daughter of Ge Tan, Xiaoling Guard Commander in February 1437. He died in 1459, his title later cancelled due to his not having a son, but he had a daughter, County Princess Nankang.
6. Zhu Panmuo, Commentary Prince Daohui of Xinfeng, title created in October 1432. He died in January 1437 when he was 19. His title later cancelled due to his not having a son.

Daughters

1. Commentary Princess Yongxin, title created in July 1426, married to Gao Heling, Jinxiang Guard Sheren.
2. Commentary Princess Yushan, title created in July 1426, married to Fang Jingxiang, Captaincy Sheren.
3. Commentary Princess Qingjiang, title created in February 1426, married to Chen Yi.
4. Commentary Princess Fengxin, title created in 5 February 1426, married to Wang Shuang.
5. Commentary Princess Jinxi, title created February 1426, married to Han Fu. Died in August 1449.
6. Commentary Princess Taihe, title created February 1426, married to Wang Zhanran, citizen from Poyang County.
7. Commentary Princess Pengze, title created February 1426, married to Wang Zhi.
8. Commentary Princess Luling, title created February 1426, married to Tian Yu.
9. Commentary Princess Xinyu, title created February 1426, married to Hu Guangji.
10. Commentary Princess Xincheng, title created February 1426, married to Li Huan.
11. Commentary Princess Fuliang, title created July 1426.
12. Died Young, no title.
13. Commentary Princess Nanfeng, title created February 1426, married to Zhang Wen 張雯.
14. Commentary Princess Yongfeng, title created June 1427.

Descendants

Zhu Quan is also the ancestor of the famous Chinese painter Zhu Da.