Editing Hongwu Emperor (section)

===Society===
[[File:總兵帖.jpg|thumb|The Hongwu Emperor's calligraphy]]
The Hongwu Emperor's guiding principle was one of parsimony and simplicity. The emperor aimed to restore a simple agricultural economy, with other industries being seen as complementary.{{sfnp|Huang|1998|p=107}} In order to maintain social cohesion and preserve the economic foundations of the state, the consumption of the wealthy and privileged was restricted. This was done out of fear that excessive displays of wealth would have destructive effects on society. The privileged were expected to exercise self-restraint, with the justification for this being rooted in Confucian morality. Material interests and selfishness were actively rejected. The Hongwu Emperor himself set an example by contenting himself with simple food and palace furnishings.{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=38}} He viewed the pursuit of comfort, luxury, and property as unacceptable self-centeredness and a sign of corruption. Some of his specific orders included the planting of vegetable gardens instead of flower gardens in his sons' palaces, a ban on keeping pet animals (such as tigers), and calls to replace them with useful animals like cows. Additionally, the cultivation of rice varieties suitable for the production of rice wine was prohibited. The government also regulated consumption, setting specific levels for food, clothing, housing, and transportation for each class of the population.{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=39}} This resulted in strict regulation of the entire lives of the subjects, including attempts to enforce standards of greetings and the style of written texts,{{sfnp|Brook|1998|pp=31–32}} restrictions on people's choice of names,{{sfnp|Wu|1980|p=222}} and bans on the use of symbols that reminded people of a monastic episode in the emperor's life.{{sfnp|Wu|1980|p=217}}

The emperor believed that providing every man with a field and every woman with a loom would alleviate the hardships faced by the people, but this ideal was not reflected in reality as the wealthy held a disproportionate amount of land and often found ways to avoid paying taxes.{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=28}} In fact, during the last years of the Yuan dynasty, the land tax yield dropped to zero.{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=29}} In response, the Hongwu Emperor confiscated land from the wealthy and redistributed it to the landless. Those who had abandoned their properties during the wars were not entitled to have them returned, but were instead given replacement plots of land on the condition that they personally worked on them.{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=28}} Those who occupied more land than they could cultivate were punished and had their land confiscated. While the Song emperor [[Emperor Taizu of Song|Taizu]] encouraged large landowners and stated that the wealthy are the gateway to prosperity for the entire country, the Hongwu Emperor sought to eliminate the wealthy. As a result of his reforms, there were very few large landowners left.{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=29}}

After ascending to the throne, he resettled 14,300 wealthy families from [[Zhejiang]] and the Yingtian area from their estates to Nanjing.{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=29}} He also confiscated the vast properties of Buddhist monasteries, which during the Yuan dynasty owned 3/5 of the land in Shandong province. As a result, 3,000 Buddhist and Taoist monasteries were abolished, and 214,000 Buddhist and 300,000 Taoist monks and nuns were returned to secular life. Additionally, monasteries were limited to one with a maximum of two monks in each county.{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=30}} To address the issue of landlessness, free land was allocated to peasants. In the north, peasants received 15 ''mu'' per field and 2 per garden, while in the south, they received 16 ''mu''. Hereditary soldiers were given 50 ''mu''.{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=30}}

In contrast to the attitude towards the wealthy, care for the poor was significantly increased (and by the 16th century, considered standard). The government ordered the establishment of shelters for beggars in each county, and rations of rice, wood, and cloth were guaranteed for other poor individuals. Additionally, octogenarians and older individuals were guaranteed meat and wine. These expenses were covered by the ''lijia'' system,{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=32}} which required wealthy families to contribute or face property confiscation.{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=33}}