Zhu Kuanshu

Zhu Kuanshu (courtesy name Xisheng, literary name Qingxing Shangren) was a Han Chinese and a direct descendant of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, being the sixteenth-generation grandson of Prince Zhu Qian of Min, the emperor’s eighteenth son.

He was the youngest son of Zhu Fangxu and the father of Zhu Rongji, former Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.

Gifted with intelligence from a young age, Zhu Kuanshu was widely read and held great ambition. He styled himself 'Qingxing Shangren' (the Clear-headed Scholar), inspired by the line from Qu Yuan, 'All men are drunk, but I alone am sober.'

Unfortunately, he contracted tuberculosis in his teenage years, and despite family efforts, his health deteriorated. Following local custom known as 'chongxi' (marriage arranged to ward off misfortune), he married Madam Zhang in hopes of recovery.

However, his condition worsened, and he died at a young age before seeing the birth of his son. On October 1, 1928, Zhu Rongji was born as a posthumous child, his father having already passed away.