Zhu Yijun (1563–1620)

The emperor Shenzong 神宗, better known by his reign title Wanli 萬曆, formally ruled as the emperor of Ming China between 1573 and 1620. While his reign was the longest of the Ming’s sixteen emperors, it was also one of the most tumultuous. Zhu Yijun was intelligent and a capable monarch, but after suffering through bitter controversies, first as a youth and then as a grown man, he retreated from active participation in the Ming government. While he redirected his productive energies elsewhere, Zhu Yijun is remembered as one of the Ming’s more tragic figures.

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