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Chinese Ancestral Portraits Emperors Litho Prints on Fabric

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Pair (24x16 unframed)

Shipped with USPS Priority Mail

In honor of Chinese New Year we will reduce this Chinese Origin listing by 30%. Take advantage now while the celebrations happen through February 5th 2023… Sunday January 22nd 2023 began the Chinese (or Lunar) New Year’s Day, the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit and a series of celebrations culminating with the Lantern Festival on February 5th. Each day of the series has its own specific activities and traditions, with some days honoring in-laws or certain animals of the Chinese zodiac. Traditionally, homes will be adorned with auspicious red decorations to welcome guests to a reunion dinner, and cash gifts will be given in lucky red envelopes. If you were born in a rabbit year – like Albert Einstein, Kate Winslet, and Tiger Woods – you are vigilant, witty, quick-minded and ingenious

The price you see is for the Pair of Prints - Unframed

The price is so great because We have quite a few of them - they are beautiful and intricate printed on a Silk Fabric - most likely produced in The 1980s when Emil Backstrom Jr was at the peak of his salvage and closeout years

The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398) Zhu Yuanzhang (Chinese: 朱元璋; Wade–Giles: Chu Yuan-Chang), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1368 to 1398.

As famine, plagues and peasant revolts increased across China in the 14th century, Zhu Yuanzhang rose to command the forces that conquered China, ending the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty, and forcing the Mongols to retreat to the Eurasian Steppe. Zhu claimed the Mandate of Heaven and established the Ming dynasty at the beginning of 1368 and occupied the Yuan capital, Khanbaliq (present-day Beijing), with his army that same year.

Trusting only his family, he made his many sons feudal princes along the northern marches and the Yangtze valley. Having outlived his eldest son Zhu Biao, Hongwu enthroned Zhu Biao's son via a series of instructions. This ended in failure when the Jianwen Emperor's attempts to unseat his uncles led to the Jingnan Rebellion.

The era of Hongwu witnessed much tolerance with the minorities and religions; Ma Zhou, the Chinese historian indicates that the Hongwu ordered to renovate and build many mosques in Xi’an and Nanjing.

Wang Daiyu also recorded that the emperor wrote 100 characters praising Islam, Baizi zan.

The reign of the Hongwu Emperor is notable for his unprecedented political reforms. The emperor abolished the position of chancellor, drastically reduced the role of court eunuchs, and adopted draconian measures to address corruption. He also established the Embroidered Uniform Guard, one of the best-known secret police organizations in imperial China. In the 1380s and 1390s a series of purges were launched to eliminate his high-ranked officials and generals; tens of thousands were executed. The reign of Hongwu also witnessed much cruelty. Various cruel methods of execution were introduced for punishable crimes and for those who directly criticized the emperor, and massacres were also carried against everyone who resisted his rule.

The emperor encouraged agriculture, reduced taxes, incentivized the cultivation of new land, and established laws protecting peasants' property. He also confiscated land held by large estates and forbade private slavery. At the same time, he banned free movement in the empire and assigned hereditary occupational categories to households. Through these measures, Zhu Yuanzhang attempted to rebuild a country that had been ravaged by war, limit and control its social groups, and instill orthodox values in his subjects, eventually creating a strictly regimented society of self-sufficient farming communities.

Kangxi Emperor

History Biography

Ancient China Occupation: Emperor of China

Born: May 4, 1654 in Beijing, China

Died: December 20, 1722 in Beijing, China

Reign: February 5, 1661 to December 20, 1722

Best known for: Longest-reigning emperor in Chinese history

The Kangxi Emperor is considered by historians to be one of the greatest emperors in the history of China. He was the fourth emperor of

the Qing Dynasty. He ruled for 61 years making him the longest-reigning Chinese emperor. His rule was a period of expansion, stability, and prosperity for the Chinese Empire.

Growing Up "40 years old Kangxi" by Author of Qing Dynasty [Public Domain] Kangxi was born on May 4, 1654 in Beijing, China.

His father was the Shunzhi Emperor of China and his mother the Empress Xiaokangzhang.

The name given to him at birth was Xuanye.

Although Kangxi was the third son of the emperor, he was considered the crown prince because his mother was a higher rank than the mothers of his brothers. He was raised mostly by his grandmother, the Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.

Growing up, Kangxi enjoyed sports and hunting. Becoming Emperor In 1661, when Kangxi was seven years old, his father, only 23 at the time, died of smallpox. Despite being only seven, Kangxi was crowned the new emperor of China. At first, he didn't get involved in the government. There were men called regents assigned to run the country for him. By the time Kangxi turned 15, one of the regents, a man named Oboi, had become very powerful. He had the other regents removed or killed.

Kangxi's grandmother advised him it was time to take control. Kangxi had Oboi put into prison and began ruling as the emperor of China in 1669. Ruling China Throughout his long reign, Kangxi was a hardworking emperor. He wanted to strengthen and expand China. He also wanted what was best for his people. One of the first issues Kangxi had to deal with was the Revoltof the Three Feudatories. This was a civil war that broke out when three southern warlords united against Kangxi and the Qing Dynasty. The war went on for eight years, but Kangxi was able to suppress the rebellion and keep China united. One of Kangxi's main goals as emperor was to expand the Chinese Empire. He successfully conquered Taiwan, established a treaty with Vietnam, gained control of the Amur River region from Russia, and defeated the Mongols. Kangxi also had an impact on Chinese culture. He brought in Jesuit missionaries from the west who introduced new technologies, worked as translators, and ran the imperial observatory. He also had a new Chinese dictionary written known as the Kangxi Dictionary and compiled a collection of Tang poetry called the Quan Tangshi.

Death Kangxi fell ill during the winter of 1722 and died. He named his fourth son, Yinzhen, as his successor. Yinzhen took over the throne and became the Yongzheng Emperor. Legacy Kangxi is considered one of the most competent emperors in the history of China. His reign led to a long period of peace and prosperity in China. Interesting facts about the Kangxi Emperor His grandson, the Qianlong Emperor, would have ruled longer but retired in order to honor Kangxi. The name "Kangxi" means "Peaceful Harmony." Kangxi personally led the Chinese army against the Mongols. He is listed as having 24 sons and 12 daughters. At first Kangxi was receptive to Christianity and may have even become a Christian himself, but he later banned Christian missions in China.