Wu Tingju (吳廷舉, c. 1460 – 1526) was a Ming official who, as Administration Commissioner (governor) of Guangdong, was an early advocate of trade openness during the reign of Emperor Zhengde.
[4] Wu Tingju's role in economic policy debates is documented in the Ming Shilu or "Veritable Record" of the Zhengde Emperor, a compilation of court deliberations on administrative and other issues.
In contrast to the occasionally more liberal stance under the Yuan dynasty, the Hongwu Emperor at the start of the Ming dynasty had imposed all foreign trade to be channeled through the highly formalized tributary system, implying a prohibition of private foreign trade even though this could probably never be universally enforced.
Wu Tingju, instead, appears to have viewed private foreign trade as a valuable source of wealth and fiscal revenue.
The Portuguese - referred to in contemporaneous Chinese sources as "Franks" (Folangji, 佛郎機) - were unable to secure tributary state status, and their assertive behavior contributed to generally negative attitudes against foreign traders at the imperial court, thwarting Wu Tingju's open stance.