The intellectual environment created by Zhu Yuanzhang’s (posth. Emperor Taizu of the Ming, reigned 1368-1398) ideological control influenced the development of literary thought in his Hongwu reign-period. His attitude towards intellectuals was complicated. On the one had he was close to them, but on the other hand his suspicion resulted in extensive executions. This gave rise to a complex mentality amongst intellectuals. The operating space that Zhu reserved for intellectuals was a decisive factor in the development of literary thought. A particular focus of Zhu’s seven edicts on literary reform is the restricting of poetry, essays, and drama to content relating to the strengths and weaknesses of governance. Additionally, the basis of Zhu’s literary thought includes: a respect for classical models, emphasis on practicality, eradication of embellishment, the pursuit of simplicity and integrity, and reduced emphasis on artistry. Zhu Yuanzhang’s literary thought, combined with other social factors, influenced a number of officials who served under the newly founded Ming dynasty to undergo an obvious change in their literary positions. In line with the political situation of the time, these trends in creative writing and literary thought gradually became mainstream in the Hongwu reign-period. The first consequence is the panegyric tone in poetry composition, which pursued an elegant and poised style. In the meantime, classicists such as Song Lian (1310-1380) advocated literary positions of “finding one’s root in Confucian teaching” and “basing one’s writing on Confucian classics”. This thought accorded with Zhu Yuanzhang’s concept of state affairs and views on literature, and thus assumed orthodoxy. On the other hand, two schools of literary thought became marginalized: free expression of individual sentiment unrelated to governance and didacticism, and a continuation of the late Yuan trend of “modeling on the ancients.”