Zhang Juzheng

Zhang Juzheng, who lived from 26 May 1525 to 9 July 1582, was a Chinese scholar-official of the Ming dynasty who served as grand secretary under the Longqing and Wanli emperors. He passed the highest level of the official examinations in 1547, was granted the rank of jinshi and then served at the Hanlin Academy. The Longqing Emperor appointed him grand secretary in 1567, and when the Wanli Emperor came to the throne in 1572 he became head of the grand secretaries. In the early years of the Wanli reign he was the de facto ruler of China, centralizing the administration, limiting privileges and revising land tax exemptions. After his death in 1582 many reforms were reversed, and in 1584 his family was stripped of its property; he was not rehabilitated until more than half a century later.