The Yongle Emperor, born Zhu Di, ruled China's Ming dynasty from 1402 to 1424. He was a son of the dynasty's founder, the Hongwu Emperor, and was given the title Prince of Yan in 1370. In 1399 he rebelled against his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor, in a three-year civil war known as the Jingnan campaign, and declared himself emperor in 1402. He then elevated Beiping, now Beijing, to a second capital and oversaw construction of a new capital there from 1407 to 1420 using hundreds of thousands of workers. He also rebuilt the Grand Canal to supply the north. Under his rule, scholars compiled the vast Yongle Encyclopedia. Foreign policy was active too: Zheng He led maritime expeditions reaching Southeast Asia, India, Persia and East Africa, while the emperor personally led five campaigns into Mongolia. Many of these wars did not secure the northern border.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.