Zhao Wenhua
| Zhao Wenhua | |
|---|---|
| 趙文華 | |
| Minister of Works of the Ming dynasty | |
|
In office May 3, 1556 – September 13, 1557 |
|
| Monarch | Jiajing Emperor |
| Preceded by | Wu Peng |
| Succeeded by | Lei Li |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cixi, Zhejiang, China |
| Died | 1557 |
| Courtesy names | Ronggang (榮崗) Yuanzhi (元質) |
| Art name | Rongjiang (蓉江) |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | Jiajing wokou raids |
Zhao Wenhua (Chinese: 趙文華; died 1557) was a Chinese public official during the reign of Ming dynasty's Jiajing Emperor.
After initial setbacks in his career, Zhao became a close confidant to Grand Secretary Yan Song, eventually becoming a vice minister. At the time, the Chinese coast was plagued by a series of raids by Chinese smugglers. Zhao disagreed with how the military was handling the situation and made his own recommendations, which the military ignored. After the Emperor lost confidence in Minister of War Nie Bao, he tasked Zhao with solving the crisis himself.
Zhao quickly came into conflict with other officials that were already at the coast, and went on to orchestrate the removal of several of them, as well as a prominent court official. Zhao rose to the rank of Minister of Works and positioned his protege Hu Zongxian as supreme commander, a role that Hu excelled in. Zhao, however, had earned the disdain of other figures in the court, and his disregard for etiquette alienated even Yan Song. After being accused of accepting bribes, exaggerating his victories, and diverting lumber meant for the Forbidden Palace towards the construction of his own personal estate, Zhao lost the Emperor's favor and was removed from his post. He died shortly thereafter. While the official history attributed it to a hernia, another source indicated that he committed suicide by poison.
Both he and Yan Song are listed as "Treacherous Ministers" (奸臣傳) in the official historical work History of Ming.
A native of Cixi, Zhejiang, Zhao Wenhua passed the imperial examination as a jinshi in 1529, whereupon he served as a secretary in the ministry of justice (刑部主事). Although he gained a name for being a skilled essayist in this post, he was found to have neglected his duty and was demoted to the post of vice prefect of Dongping, Shandong (東平州同知). Through the connection he made while he was studying at the National University, Zhao was eventually attached to the Office of Transmission (通政司) by the Grand Secretary Yan Song, who had noticed Zhao's talent when he was the chancellor of the university. In the Office of Transmission, Zhao Wenhua was to intercept all communications that put Yan Song in a negative light and hence foil any impeachment attempts. Zhao Wenhua cooperated so well in this manner that they became close, and Yan Song considered him as an adopted son. He later became a vice minister of works (工部右侍郎) for his proposal to build the southern city wall of Beijing.
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