Jiajing Emperor 明世宗
（重定向自Jiajing）
![](/Images/godic/202501/21/明世宗2649.jpg")
![The Jiajing Emperor on his state barge, from a scroll painted in 1538 by unknown court artists](/Images/godic/202501/21/Jiajing_Emperor_on_his_state_barge2649.jpg")
![A porcelain vase with glazed fish designs, from the Jiajing era.](/Images/godic/202501/21/Porcelaine_chinoise_Guimet_2611012649.jpg")
![Original – A panoramic painting showing the Jiajing Emperor traveling to the Ming Dynasty Tombs with a huge cavalry escort and an elephant-drawn carriage.](/Images/godic/202501/21/Departure_Herald-Ming_Dynasty2649.jpg")
The Jiajing Emperor (Chinese:嘉靖; pinyin:Jiājìng; Wade–Giles:Chia-ching; 16 September 1507 –23 January 1567) was the 11th emperor of the Chinese Ming dynasty who ruled from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin. His father, Zhu Youyuan (1476–1519), the Prince of Xing, was the fourth son of the Chenghua Emperor (r. 1465–1487) and the eldest son of three sons born to the emperor's concubine, Lady Shao. The Jiajing Emperor's regnal name, "Jiajing", means "admirable tranquility".