Emperor Hongwu: Hello, and Hongwu is preferred. My day has been going great so far, although it typically is good when you're on top.
Reporter: How did you get to the place you are at now Hongwu?
Emperor Hongwu: I went through a lot of trouble, growing up with eight brothers, and me being the youngest. I often went through starvation, fighting, and death. Due to the poverty, some of my brothers were given up. Soon after, my family died due to the Yellow River flooding in 1344. I begged for food. I'm at the point i'm at now because of my rebel and conquering land. Soon after I became emperor, I took over Nanjing, which is now the capital of the Ming Dynasty.
Reporter: Now that you have created the Ming Dynasty, what are things you are planning on changing from previous dynasties?
Emporer Hongwu: I want the Ming Dynasty to be stronger, so although sometimes it does not work, one policy I have made is that eunuchs have no ruling power. I think that court eunuchs are too dangerous because eunuchs have involved themselves in internal politics in earlier dynasties. I also want agriculture to be the source of the the Ming Dynasties wealth instead of industrial and trading like there was in the Song Dynasty. As well as I want peasants to be live in a stable agricultural community. I've been trying to weaken the higher class and to have them to pay higher taxes than peasents, and I can't even relocate a large number of them. The higher class are where they are today because of industrial and trading methods. In the Ming dynasty we have some people that started to manufacture goods such as silk and porcelain. The farmers sold their produce to the urban population and so became dependent on this source of income.
Reporter: If you had the choice, would you keep your philosophy as Confucianism? Why?
Emporer Hongwu: I believe Confucianism is a great philosophy, but like every thing else, it also has its disadvantages. Confucianism is the belief that everyone will behave without rules to follow. Confucianism is an interesting thing, because i think a lot of people have a hard time following it. I have often thought about Taoism or Daoism, and i think it is a great philosophy to use. Taoism I feel gives everyone a chance. Taoism is a great way to not over react to a problem but not be almost perfect which Confucianism reminds me of. I would change my philosophy to Taoism.
Reporter: Will you tell us more about the Ming Dynasty?
Emporer Hongwu: The Ming Dynasty has been improving radically! I have been wanting to conquer the Middle-East for a while now, so the time might be soon. Within four years I have taken over the land the Tang Dynasty once controlled and made it my own. We have a standing arm of roughly one million troops. The Ming Dynasty has had a lot of inventions and innovations like the Yongle Encyclopedia, Great Compendia, blue and white porcelain (fine China), huochong gun, powerful artillery, and iron which they produce 100,00 ton per year! Our government has been run by the Chancellery, the Bureau of Military affairs, and the Censorate. We use a Confucianism philosophy, but as i said before i would like that to change. Most people have a feeling that the Ming Dynasty is very boring but something very interesting about us is we believe in is the dead are placed inside a hollowed nanmu tree, which after that is buried under grassland. As well as we believe in reincarnation, which is the believe that the dead live a life (similar to one living).
Reporter: Wow! That is very interesting. Thank you so much with meeting with me today. Have a nice day!
Emperor Hongwu: Your welcome, and have a very nice day as well.
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