Emperor Hongwu, 1st ruler of the Ming Dynasty (r. 1368-1398). Personal Name: Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yuánzhang Posthumous Name: Gaodi, Gaodì Temple Name: Taizu, Tàizu Reign Name: Ming Hongwu, Ming Hóngwu. The Hongwu Emperor was the founder and first emperor (1368-98) of the Ming Dynasty of China. His era name, Hongwu, means 'vastly martial'. In the middle of the 14th century, with famine, plagues and peasant revolts sweeping across China, Zhu became a leader of an army that conquered China, ending the Yuan Dynasty and forcing the Mongols to retreat to the Mongolian steppes. With his seizure of the Yuan capital (present-day Beijing), he claimed the Mandate of Heaven and established the Ming Dynasty in 1368.