MING-TI

born AD 29, China died 75 or 76, China Pinyin Mingdi (posthumous name, or shih), personal name (hsing-ming) Liu Chuang, temple name (tung Han) Hsien-tsung second emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty (206 BCAD 220), during whose reign (AD 57/5875/76) Buddhism is thought to have been introduced into China. Legend recounts that Ming-ti was visited in a dream by a golden image of the Buddha Sakyamuni, seeking to be worshiped in China. The emperor is said to have responded by recruiting two Buddhist monks from India and erecting a Buddhist temple at Lo-yang. Ming-ti (Enlightened Emperor) launched a military campaign to destroy the Hsiung-nu tribes plaguing China's northwest frontier. Through intrigue as well as military might, the Han armies under the general Pan Ch'ao succeeded in reestablishing Chinese influence in Inner Asia. Ming-ti was succeeded by his son Chang-ti.