The Ming dynasty has often been depicted as the victorious restoration of Han Chinese domination over the Mongol tribes. This paper attempts to show that the negative references to the origins of the foreign Yuan, which are apparently at odds with the praise directed at Qubilai, were instrumental in the construction of Ming Taizu’s legitimacy as the founder of a new dynasty. The Yuan legacy was in fact profound, as demonstrated by the institutional, legal and military elements derived from the previous dynasty. With this objective in mind, this paper examines specific statements made by Ming Taizu on both the Yuan dynasty and on its founder Shizu (Qubilai), recorded in official sources such as the Veritable Records, and it will also draw on some more “personal” writings, such as the Ming Taizu ji 明太祖集, which constitute part of the huge number of documents written by the emperor himself.