Zhu Jianshen

Also known as Ming Xianzong · Chenghua Di

Zhu Jianshen, eldest son of Emperor Yingzong, was born in 1447. After his father was captured at Tumu in 1449 he was named crown prince, but in 1452 the Jingtai emperor replaced him with his own son and demoted him to Prince of Yi; he was restored as heir when Yingzong regained the throne in 1457. He succeeded in 1464 and began the Chenghua era the next year. Early on he cleared the name of Yu Qian and restored the imperial title of the Jingtai emperor. In 1467 he sent an army that joined Korean forces in attacking the Jianzhou Jurchens. He remained devoted to Lady Wan, seventeen years his senior, set up the Western Depot under the eunuch Wang Zhi in 1477, and appointed many officials by direct palace order, bypassing the Ministry of Personnel. He died in 1487 with the temple name Xianzong and was buried at the Maoling tomb. A painter himself, he made the picture known as One Harmony in 1465, now in the Palace Museum.