The Yongle Emperor writes a book
I want to talk about Yongle. He was the Third Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He reigned from 1402-1424. In my feeble mind he is one of the greatest of China's Emperors. However, by taking a look at any "Top Ten" list, he is not mentioned. However, if that list was to simply include "modern day" emperors, of say the Ming onward, or of the past millenia, surely he would be one of the greatest emperors during that period. Yongle did many things, so let's simply start off with what he is most famous for; the building of the Forbidden Palace. He also expanded upon the Grand Canal, as well as obviously moving the capital to Beijing. He kept good relations with Tibet, as well as building the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing. He also codified the Imperial Exam System, making it more selective by the actual passing of a test than by appointment. Oh, and he also funded the voyages of Zheng He as well. Yongle was not perfect, and of course he did unpopular things a