Zhu Yuanzhang was founder of the Ming Dynasty, the one dynasty that endured
             for so long (1368-1644), considering the fact that it was established by a
             commoner. The reason Ming Dynasty and its first emperor Yuanzhang occupy
             special place in Chinese history is because this was one of the only lonely
             two dynasties to have been formed by a landless peasant. It is not everyday
             that commoner emerges from nowhere, overthrown powerful rulers of the time,
             establishes his own dynasty that endures for three long centuries. But
             Yuanzhang managed to achieve this colossal feat and thus his name went down
             in Chinese history as a competent emperor, second commoner only after Liu
             Yuanzhang's rise to fame and power was simply unprecedented in history.
             Born to a very poor family in Anhui province in 1328, Yuanzhang was
             orphaned at a very young age. Since he practically lacked a family, he
             joined Buddhist monastery and became a monk during his teen years. In bad
             times, he even resorted to beggary but it appears that fate had something
             big in store for him. This young man joined the quasi-religious movement to
             overthrow the Mongols who had been created havoc in the country and quickly
             shot to position of leadership. He conquered Nanking in 1367 and attacked
             Beijing the very next year, defeating Mongols and establishing the famous
             The overthrow of Mongols and YUAN Dynasty are recorded in history as major
             events that spurred series of successes for Yuanzhang and gave peasants the
             courage to rise against the elite and their ruthless ambitions. But it is
             important to understand that Mongol defeat was not an independent
             occurrence. It was actually a culmination of a series of small peasant
             uprisings that had been occurring in various parts of the country. Peasants
             were living in wretched conditions and they revolted against Mongols in
             small but effective uprisings. However this gave Yuanzhang the opportunity
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