Zhang Juzheng

Zhang Juzheng
張居正
47th Senior Grand Secretary
In office 1572–1582
Monarchs	Longqing Wanli
Preceded by	Gao Gong
Succeeded by	Zhang Siwei
Personal details
Born	26 May 1525 Jiangling, Huguang
Died	9 July 1582(1582-07-09) (aged 57) Jingshi
Spouse	Lady Liu
Children	7
Education	juren degree in the provincial examination held by Huguang province (1540) jinshi degree (1547)
Other names	Zhang Jiangling (張江陵)
Courtesy name	Shuda (叔大)
Art name	Taiyue (太岳)
Posthumous name	Wenzhong (文忠)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	張居正
Simplified Chinese	张居正
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhāng Jūzhèng Wade–Giles Chang1 Chü1–cheng4 IPA [ʈʂáŋ tɕýʈʂə̂ŋ]
Civil and honorary titles Fengtian Yiyun Tuicheng Shouzheng Wenchen, Lord Specially Advanced, Grand Master for Splendid Happiness, Supreme Pillar of State, and Grand Preceptor (奉天翊運推誠守正文臣 特進光祿大夫上柱國太師) and concurrently Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Central Extreme (太子太師吏部尚書中極殿大學士) Other offices held Bachelor of the Hanlin Academy (翰林院庶吉士) Junior Historiography Compiler of the Hanlin Academy (翰林院編修) Right Secretariat and Right Admonisher of the Household Administration of the Heir Apparent (詹事府右春坊右贊善), in charge of Director of Studies of the Imperial University (國子監司業) Right Secretariat and Right Companion of the Household Administration of the Heir Apparent (詹事府右春坊右中允), and concurrently Reader-in-waiting at the Prince of Yu's Mansion (裕王府講讀) Right Secretariat and Right Advisor of the Household Administration of the Heir Apparent (詹事府右春坊右諭德), and concurrently Hanlin Academician Expositor-in-waiting (翰林院侍講學士) Right Vice Minister of Rites (禮部右侍郎) and concurrently Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy (翰林院學士) Left Vice Minister of Personnel (吏部左侍郎) and concurrently Grand Secretary of the East Hall (東閣大學士) Junior Guardian (少保), and concurrently Grand Guardian of the Crown Prince, Minister of Rites, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Military Glory (太子太保禮部尚書武英殿大學士) Pillar of State and Junior Guardian (柱國少保), and concurrently Grand Mentor of the Crown Prince, Minister of Rites, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Military Glory (太子太傅禮部尚書武英殿大學士) Pillar of State and Junior Mentor (柱國少傅), and concurrently Grand Mentor of the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Developmental Extreme (太子太傅吏部尚書建極殿大學士) Pillar of State and Junior Mentor, and concurrently Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Developmental Extreme (太子太師吏部尚書建極殿大學士) Pillar of State and Junior Preceptor (柱國少師), and concurrently Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Developmental Extreme Pillar of State and Junior Preceptor, and concurrently Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Central Extreme (太子太師吏部尚書中極殿大學士) Left Pillar of State and Grand Mentor (左柱國太傅), and concurrently Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Central Extreme Left Pillar of State and Grand Preceptor (左柱國太師), and concurrently Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Central Extreme Supreme Pillar of State and Grand Preceptor (上柱國太師), and concurrently Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Central Extreme

Zhang Juzheng (26 May 1525 – 9 July 1582), courtesy name Shuda, art name Taiyue, also known as Zhang Jiangling, was a prominent Grand Secretary during the reigns of Ming emperors Longqing and Wanli. In 1547, he passed the highest level of official examinations and was granted the rank of jinshi. He then served at the Hanlin Academy. In 1567, he was appointed as the Grand Secretary to the Longqing Emperor, and upon the ascension of the Wanli Emperor in 1572, he became the head of the Grand Secretaries.

During the early years of the Wanli Emperor's reign, Zhang Juzheng played a crucial role as the emperor's mentor and de facto ruler of China due to the emperor's immaturity. His decisive foreign and economic policies led to one of the most successful periods in the Ming history.^[1] Influenced by the Mongol raids of the 1650s, Zhang Juzheng aimed to "enrich the country and strengthen the army" through legalistic methods rather than Confucian principles.^[2] He played a key role in centralizing the administration, limiting various privileges, and revising land tax exemptions.^[1] However, after Zhang's death in 1582, many of his reforms and policies were reversed, and in 1584 his family was stripped of their accumulated property and wealth.^[1] It was not until more than half a century later, just before the fall of the Ming dynasty, that he was finally rehabilitated.