Wu-ti, posthumous temple name of the 5th emperor (140 B.C.-87 B.C.) of the Han dynasty. Wu-ti [Chin.,=martial emperor] ruled directly through a palace secretariat. During his vigorous reign he incorporated the native states of S China into the empire, drove the nomadic Hsiung-nu out of the Ordos region on the northern frontier, and extended Chinese rule to the Tarim basin of Central Asia (modern Xinjiang). Wu-ti was the first Chinese monarch to extend court patronage to Confucianism, although contemporary Confucian scholars emphasized cosmology and ritual rather than ethics.

Ti, symbol for the element titanium.

Ploieşti, city (1990 pop. 259,014), S central Romania, in Walachia. It is the chief center of the Romanian petroleum industry and of the Ploieşti oil region. The city is a railroad hub and is linked by oil pipelines with Bucharest and the ports of Giurgiu on the Danube River and Constanţa on the Black Sea. It has large refineries and oil storage installations and is an industrial center with varied manufactures. Founded in 1596 by Prince Michael the Brave of Walachia, Ploieşti grew in the 19th cent. into the largest oil-producing center of SE Europe. After Romania signed (1940) a mutual cooperation pact with the Axis powers that provided substantial Romanian oil to Germany, the Allies heavily bombed the city. An earthquake in 1940 also inflicted severe damage. After World War II, Romania nationalized the Ploieşti oil industry, which until then had been owned largely by foreign interests. Under Communist rule, massive investments in the petroleum and petrochemical industries were made in the drive to modernize.

Piteşti, city (1990 pop. 174,790), S central Romania, in Walachia, on the Argesul River. It is the administrative and commercial center of the Argeş region and an important rail junction. Piteşti is famous for its wines. The chief manufactures are automobiles, footwear, and wood products. There are several resorts nearby.

Mo Ti: see Mo-Tzu.

Kuang-wu-ti: see Liu Hsiu.

Huang-ti: see Yellow Emperor.

Bucureşti: see Bucharest.

or Wu-ti orig. Liu Che

(born 156 BC—died March 29, 87 BC) Emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty who vastly increased its authority and its influence abroad and made Confucianism China's state religion. Under Wudi, China's armies drove back the nomadic Xiongnu tribes that plagued the northern border, incorporated southern China and northern and central Vietnam into the empire, and reconquered Korea. Their farthest expedition was to Fergana (in modern Uzbekistan). Wudi's military campaigns strained the state's reserves; seeking new income, he decreed new taxes and established state monopolies on salt, iron, and wine.

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Metallic chemical element, one of the transition elements, chemical symbol Ti, atomic number 22. A silvery gray, lightweight, high-strength, low-corrosion structural metal, it is found combined in almost all rocks and soils and in plants and animals, natural waters, and deep-sea dredgings. Its chief commercial ores are ilmenite and rutile. Its alloys are used for parts for high-speed aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, and ships; in electrodes; in chemical, desalination, and food-handling equipment; and in prostheses. Its compounds, in which it has valence 2, 3, or 4, include titanium trichloride (used as a catalyst in polypropylene production), titanium dioxide (extensively used as a pigment—with the greatest hiding power of all white pigments—in paints, enamels, and lacquers), and titanium tetrachloride (used in skywriting, smoke screens, and as a catalyst).

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or Mo-tzu

(born 470?, China—died 391? BC, China) Chinese philosopher. Originally a follower of Confucius, Mozi evolved a doctrine of universal love that gave rise to a religious movement called Mohism. Like Confucius, he spent much of his life traveling from one feudal state to another in search of a prince who would allow him to put his teachings into practice. The Mozi, the principal Mohist work, condemned offensive war and urged people to lead a simple life harmful to none. Mohism won a considerable body of followers, but it died out after the 2nd century BC.

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or Kuang-wu ti orig. Liu Xiu

(born circa 5 BC—died AD 57, Luoyang, China) Chinese emperor who restored the Han dynasty after the interlude of the Xin dynasty (AD 9–25) created by the usurper Wang Mang. The restored Han dynasty is often called the Later, or Eastern, Han. Guangwudi's reign was spent consolidating his rule and subduing numerous domestic rebellions, including the Red Eyebrows revolt.

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or Huang-ti(Chinese; Yellow Emperor)

Third of ancient China's mythological emperors and a patron saint of Daoism. According to legend, he was born in 2704 BC and became emperor in 2697. He is remembered as a paragon of wisdom who established a golden age, seeking to create an ideal kingdom in which his people would live in keeping with natural law. Tradition holds that his reign saw the introduction of wooden houses, carts, boats, the bow and arrow, writing, and governmental institutions. His wife was reputed to have taught women how to breed silkworms and weave silk.

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