Huang-Ming Zuxun

The Huang-Ming Zuxun (Chinese: 皇明祖訓, Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Emperor) were admonitions and exhortations left by the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dynasty, to his descendants. The text was composed in 1373 under the title Record of the Ancestor's Instructions; this was changed to Huang Ming Zu Xun during the publication of the 1395 edition.^[1]

Huang-Ming Zuxun
Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Emperor
Traditional Chinese	皇眀祖訓
Simplified Chinese	皇明祖训
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Huáng Míng Zǔ Xùn Wade–Giles Huang-Ming-Tsu-Hsün IPA [xwǎŋ mǐŋ t͡sù ɕŷn]
Record of the Ancestor's Instructions
Traditional Chinese	祖訓錄
Simplified Chinese	祖训录
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zǔ xùn lù

The book was divided into thirteen sections:

1. Preface (箴戒, Zhēnjiè)
2. Harem (持守, Chíshǒu)
3. Ritual Observance (嚴祭祀, Yán Jìsì)
4. Risk management (謹岀入, Jǐn Chūrù)
5. National Policy (慎國政, Shèn Guózhèng)
6. Protocol (禮儀, Lǐyí)
7. Legislation (法律, Fǎlǜ)
8. The Inner Chambers (內令, Nèilìng)
9. Eunuch (內官, Nèiguān)
10. Administration (職制, Zhízhì)
11. Guards (兵衛, Bīngwèi)
12. Public Works (營繕, Yíngshàn)
13. Public Funds (供用, Gōngyòng)

The preface, composed by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, admonishes his descendants to exert a strict Legalist government. The work pins the survival on the dynasty principally upon personal austerity and watchfulness both over practical administration of the empire, the niceties of ritual and etiquette on various occasions, and various potential traitors including their relatives, spouses, and officials both military and civil.^[1]

Foreign policy

The countries to not be invaded (不征之國).

In the preface of the section (祖訓首章) the Hongwu Emperor stated a policy that he would not conquer 15 neighbouring countries in order to maintain harmonious tributary relations with these countries and at the same time promote the development of trade between countries.^[a]

Accordingly, he created a list of countries not be invaded (不征之國)^[b], listed by locations are compared to Nanjing, then capital of the Ming Dynasty:

• Northeast: Joseon (朝鮮國)
• Directly east by the north: Japan (日本國)
• Directly south by the east: Ryukyu Kingdom (大琉球國), Island near Taiwan (小琉球國)
• Southwest: Trần dynasty (安南國), Khmer Empire (真臘國), Ayutthaya Kingdom (暹羅國), Champa (占城國), Sumendala (蘇門答剌), Pandya dynasty (西洋國), Sunda Kingdom (爪洼國), Old Pahang Kingdom (彭亨國), Battak (白花國), Melayu Kingdom (三弗齊國), Bruneian Sultanate (渤泥國).