Hongzhi (Chinese: 弘治; pinyin: Hóngzhì; Wade–Giles: Hung-chih; lit. 'great governance'; 14 January 1488 – 23 January 1506) was the era name (nianhao) of the Hongzhi Emperor, the tenth emperor of the Ming dynasty. It was used for a total of 18 years. During the Hongzhi period, the Ming dynasty's political clarity and economy continued to develop, and this period is known in historiography as the "Hongzhi Restoration" (弘治中興).

On 19 June 1505 (Hongzhi 18, 18th day of the 5th month), the Zhengde Emperor ascended to the throne and continued to use the Hongzhi era name. The following year, the era was changed to Zhengde.^[1][2]

Comparison table

Other regimes' era names that existed during the same period

• Vietnam
  • Hồng Đức (洪德, 1470–1497): Later Lê dynasty — era name of Lê Thánh Tông
  • Cảnh Thống (景統, 1498–1504): Later Lê dynasty — era name of Lê Hiến Tông
  • Thái Trinh (泰貞, 1504): Later Lê dynasty — era name of Lê Túc Tông
  • Đoan Khánh (端慶, 1504–1509): Later Lê dynasty — era name of Lê Uy Mục
• Japan
  • Chōkyō (長享, 1487–1489): era name of Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado
  • Entoku (延徳, 1489–1492): era name of Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado
  • Meiō (明応, 1492–1501): era name of Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado and Emperor Go-Kashiwabara
  • Bunki (文亀, 1501–1504): era name of Emperor Go-Kashiwabara
  • Eishō (永正, 1504–1521): era name of Emperor Go-Kashiwabara

See also

• List of Chinese era names
• List of Ming dynasty era names

References

Bibliography

• Li Chongzhi (2004), 《中國歷代年號考》 [Zhongguo Lidai Nianhao Kao] (in Chinese), Beijing: Zhonghua Book Co., ISBN 7101025129
• Deng Hongbo (2005), 《東亞歷史年表》 [Chronology of East Asian History] (in Chinese), Taipei: National Taiwan University Program for East Asian Classics and Cultures, ISBN 9789860005189.