Who founded the Ming Dynasty and what was the core of its early governance?

• A. Kublai Khan; expansion and consolidation
• B. Zhu Yuanzhang (Hongwu); centralized autocracy with a revived civil service and suppression of noble power
• C. Liu Bang; restoration of Han
• D. Zheng He; naval expansion

Answer: (B)

This item tests understanding of how the Ming Dynasty began and how its early government was organized. Zhu Yuanzhang, who became the first Ming emperor as Hongwu, built a highly centralized system where the emperor held supreme authority. He revived the civil service exam to staff the bureaucracy with officials chosen for merit, but these officials were tightly bound to the throne and served to enforce imperial will. At the same time, he curbed the power of hereditary nobles and local elites, ensuring that regional or aristocratic rivals could not easily challenge royal authority. This combination—a strong centralized autocracy plus a merit-based yet loyal bureaucracy and suppression of noble power—defines the early governance of the Ming.

For context, the other figures come from different parts of Chinese history and do not describe the founding and early governance of the Ming. Kublai Khan founded the Yuan dynasty and pursued expansion under Mongol rule; Liu Bang founded the Han and focused on restoring order after the Qin; Zheng He was a famed admiral whose voyages occurred later under Ming rule, not its founding.