Ming literature

After Yongle

In the decades after Yongle, Beijing was still the symbol of the dynasty’s prestige and authority. The fu writings share their eulogistic tones with those from the beginning of the century. The authors claimed that “the imperial majesty of Beijing was a living emblem of the Heavenly mandate of the Great Ming, an empire that would endure for ‘tens of thousands of years’ and under which China was once again the center of the universe.”

This claim died in 1449 when Yingzong Emperor (who was 21 at the time) was taken prisoner by the Mongols at the Battle of Tumu. He was returned a year later but by then his brother already replace him as the emperor. In 1457 he was restored to the throne but he was caught in way-to-complicated court politics and died 8 years later, and then his 16-year-old son became the Chenghua Emperor.

Due to this whole incident, the Chinese became more worried about being attacked by the Mongols and spent lots of money and manpower to build the Great Wall.