Zhang Juzheng - Life and Career

Life and Career

Zhang was born in Jiangling County, in modern day Jingzhou, Hubei province, in 1525, and was renowned for his intelligence at an early age, passing the county Shengyuan examinations at the age of 12 and enrolling for the provincial Juren examinations the next year, where the chief examiner failed him to prevent his becoming complacent. Finally, in 1547, he passed the Imperial Examinations and was appointed as an editor in the Hanlin Academy.

Zhang Juzheng was embroiled in deep political turmoil from the start of his career, owing to the factionalism prevalent in the Ming bureaucracy at the time. He was one of few officials who had cordial relations with both Yan Song and ], the leaders of the respective factions, but eventually assisted Xu in overthrowing Yan Song. Subsequently, under Xu's patronage, Zhang became a Privy Secretary in 1567, outlasting Xu himself and sharing power with his political rival Gao Gong. Gao was later ejected from office in 1572, shortly after the accession of the Wanli Emperor by Zhang and his ally, the eunuch Feng Bao, on charges that he had questioned the ability of the child emperor to rule. This left Zhang as the sole Grand Secretary, in effect controlling the entire Ming bureaucracy during the first ten years of the Wanli era.