The Yongle Emperor (2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di, was the third emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1402 to 1424. The fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the dynasty's founder, he was granted the title of Prince of Yan in 1370 and later became responsible for defending the northeastern frontier from Beijing. In 1399, he rebelled against his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor, and emerged victorious and seized the throne after four years of civil war. As emperor, he elevated Beijing to the status of a second capital and supervised the reconstruction of the Grand Canal, which supplied Beijing and the northern armies. He sponsored the compilation of the vast Yongle Encyclopedia and pursued an active foreign policy, dispatching diplomatic and military missions across Asia. Maritime expeditions led by Zheng He reached Southeast Asia, India, Persia, and East Africa. He also personally led five campaigns into Mongolia. ( Full article... )
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The clementine (Citrus × clementina) is a sweet citrus fruit that is a hybrid of the willowleaf mandarin and the orange. It was discovered in the late 19th century in Misserghin, Algeria, in the garden of the French missionary Clément Rodier, after whom it was named. Clementines have smooth, glossy, deep-orange skin, and are typically juicy, easy to peel, and divided into seven to fourteen segments. Major varieties include clemenules, Fina, Algerian, and Italian cultivars such as Clementine del Golfo di Taranto and Clementine di Calabria. Clementines are cultivated in many countries around the world and are sometimes sold as "easy-peelers". The fruit's essential oils contain mostly limonene. This composite focus-stacked photograph shows two seedless clementines, one unpeeled (left) and one peeled (right). Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: |