Hu Zongxian | |
|---|---|
| 胡宗憲 | |
 | |
| Minister of War | |
| In office June 1560 – 1563 | |
| Monarch | Jiajing Emperor |
| Supreme Commander of the Southern Metropolitan Region, Zhejiang, and Fujian | |
| In office April 1556 – 1563 | |
| Preceded by | Wang Gao |
| Succeeded by | Post abolished |
| Grand coordinator of Zhejiang | |
| In office July 1555 – April 1556 | |
| Preceded by | Li Tianchong |
| Succeeded by | Ruan E |
| In office February 1557 – 1563 | |
| Succeeded by | Zhao Bingran |
| Magistrate of Yuyao | |
| In office July 1547 – 1548 | |
| Magistrate of Yidu | |
| In office 1540 – May 1542 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 4, 1512 Jixi County, Ming China |
| Died | November 25, 1565 (aged 53) Beijing, Ming China |
| Occupation | censor, military general, politician |
| Courtesy name | Ruzhen (汝貞) |
| Art name | Meilin (梅林) |
| Posthumous name | Xiangmao (襄懋) |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | Jiajing wokou raids |
Hu Zongxian (Chinese: 胡宗憲; November 4, 1512[1] – November 25, 1565[2]), courtesy name Ruzhen (汝貞) and art name Meilin (梅林), was a Chinese general and politician of the Ming dynasty who presided over the government's response to the wokou pirate raids during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor. As supreme commander, he was able to defeat Xu Hai's (徐海) substantial raid in 1556 and capture the pirate lord Wang Zhi the next year through ruses. Despite his accomplishments, Hu Zongxian's reputation had been tarnished by his association with the clique of Yan Song and Zhao Wenhua, traditionally reviled figures in Ming historiography. He was rehabilitated decades after his death and was given the posthumous name Xiangmao (襄懋) by the emperor in 1595.
He is a direct ancestor of Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party from 2002 to 2012.[3][better source needed]
- ^ Lim 2010, p. 116.
- ^ Dardess 2013, p. 144.
- ^ Liu, Melinda (May 5, 2002). "The Man In Jiang's Shadow". Newsweek. Retrieved April 8, 2023.