Following the consolidation of the empire under Hongwu at the end of the fourteenth century, the reign of Emperor Yongle (1402–1424) was a period of prosperity for China. Agricultural progress allowed for demographic growth. In 1400, the country had 65 million inhabitants in 1400, out of a world population estimated at 350 to 375 million. Its capital, Nanjing, counted 500,000 inhabitants in 1400 ce (Morris 2013: 156). The production of iron increased, but – unlike during the period of the Northern Song – production occurred far from coal mines: this iron was probably “largely made with wood and charcoal fuel” (Pomeranz 2000: 63). Advances were also made in the textile sector and in porcelain manufacturing, which became a significant industry during the fifteenth century.