The Donglin Party was a bureaucratic political group dominated by Jiangnan scholars in the last years of the Ming Dynasty. The "party" of the "Donglin Party" is a friend party rather than a modern political party.

In 1604 A.D. (the thirty-second year of Wanli), Gu Xiancheng and others repaired the Donglin Academy where Yang Shi lectured in the Song Dynasty, and lectured with Gao Panlong and Qian Yiyi. Donglin's lecture coincided with the intensification of social contradictions at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Donglin people ridiculed the government and commented on the officials, and they demanded honesty and integrity, revitalized the rule of officials, opened up the way of speech, eliminated the accumulated evils of the government and the opposition, and opposed the corruption and perversion of the law by the powerful. These ideas of the current government were widely sympathized and supported by the society at that time, but at the same time, they were fiercely opposed by the eunuchs and their dependent forces. Due to differences in political views, the two developed and evolved into a fierce party struggle in the late Ming Dynasty. The opposition refers to the lectures at Donglin Academy and the government and opposition figures who are related to it or who support sympathetic lectures.

After the middle of the Ming Dynasty, politics became increasingly corrupt, and feudal oppression led to the continuous revolt of the people. In the face of political and economic difficulties, in 1573 (the year of the old relics of Donglin in the reign of Emperor Shenzong Wanli), Zhang Juzheng, the first assistant, began to carry out reforms, and achieved certain results in clarifying the rule of officials, improving the tax system, increasing financial resources, building water conservancy, and rectifying the military. Shousuke is a member of the Chief Cabinet and is equivalent to the prime minister of the past. Mingshenzong ascended the throne at the age of 10 and was assisted by Zhang Juzheng; as he grew older, he felt unbearable that Zhang Juzheng arbitrarily ruled the government and restricted him from pursuing luxury and lust. After Zhang Juzheng's death in 1582 (the 10th year of Wanli), the Mingshen Sect was in charge of the government, and many of Zhang Juzheng's new policies were quickly abolished [4]. During the reign of Emperor Shenzong, the feudal ruling class represented by emperors, eunuchs, princes, lords, and powerful ministers manipulated the government, and the political darkness, military decay, and financial constraints. Due to the decline of the Ming Dynasty's national power, the Manchurian aristocracy that rose outside the Guanguan gradually disobeyed the jurisdiction of the central government of the Ming Dynasty, so that it became a threat to the Ming Dynasty.

In the late Ming Dynasty, it was a political group dominated by Jiangnan scholars. In the thirty-second year of Wanli (1604), Gu Xiancheng, who was dismissed and returned to his hometown, was funded by Ouyang Dongfeng, the prefect of Changzhou, and Lin Zai, the prefect of Wuxi, to repair the Donglin Academy where Yang Shi lectured in the Song Dynasty. Those who admire the wind of the courtiers are more distant and corresponding. This kind of political lecture activity has formed a wide social impact. The "Three Wu gentry", various political representatives in the government and the opposition, forces in the southeastern cities, and powerful factions in some places all gathered around the Donglin faction centered on the Donglin Academy. At that time, it was called the Donglin Party. In the later period of the reign of Zhu Yijun of Mingshenzong, the eunuchs abused their power and acted perversely, the politics became increasingly corrupt, and the social contradictions intensified. In response to this phenomenon, the Donglin Party put forward such proposals as opposing the plundering of the mine tax commission, reducing the burden of servitude, and developing the economy of the southeast region. They also advocated the opening of the way of speech and the implementation of reforms, which were widely supported by the society at the time, but also met with fierce opposition from the eunuchs and various dependent forces. In the party struggle at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the main antagonist of the Donglin Party was the Qichu Zhejiang Party. In the later period of Wanli, the two sides fought for the country as the leader, and the three cases as the aftermath, and attacked each other.

During the period of Emperor Tianqi, the dictatorship of the eunuch Wei Zhongxian formed the most powerful eunuch group in the Ming Dynasty. In the fourth year of the Apocalypse (1624), Yang Lian, a member of the Donglin Party, was arrested for the 24 major crimes of impeaching Wei Zhongxian, and was killed along with Zuo Guangdou, Huang Zunsu, Zhou Shunchang and others. Wei Zhongxian also made people compile the "Three Dynasties Classics", using the three cases of the Red Pill Case, the Attack Case, and the Palace Removal Case as the titles to destroy the Donglin Academy and crack down on the Donglin Party. Famous people in Donglin, such as Wei Dazhong, Gu Dazhang, Gao Panlong, Zhou Qiyuan, and Miao Changsi, were persecuted to death. Qi Chu and Zhejiang Party also made the records of the heavens, Jiadong Lin is notorious, and the party members are listed in the whole country, each list is less than 100 people, as many as more than 500 people, where the names are listed, the living are cut down, the dead are pursued, and the good class in the DPRK and China is empty. Wei Zhongxian also instructed his henchmen to make "Donglin Point General Record", and nicknamed the famous Donglin Party members "Water Margin" one hundred and eight generals, in an attempt to wipe them out. In the seventh year of the Apocalypse, Ming Sizong Zhu Youzhen ascended the throne, Wei Zhongxian hanged himself, and the following year destroyed the "Three Dynasties Classics", and the persecution of the Donglin Party stopped. However, Donglin's struggle against the eunuchs continued until the Southern Ming Dynasty.

In the twenty-second year of Wanli (1594), Gu Xiancheng was stripped of his official status and returned to his hometown Wuxi. Together with his younger brother Gu Yuncheng, he initiated the restoration of Donglin Academy in the east of Wuxi. This academy was originally founded by Yang Shi, a Confucian in the Song Dynasty, who was a disciple of the two brothers Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi in the Song Dynasty, and was the authentic descendant of the "Ercheng Doctrine". Later, another great Confucian of the Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi, was a disciple of Yang Shi. When Gu Xiancheng rebuilt Donglin Academy, he clearly announced that he was teaching Cheng Zhu Lixue, that is, he inherited the mantle of Yang Shi.

To rebuild Donglin Academy, Ouyang Dongfeng, the prefect of Changzhou, and Lin Zai, the prefect of Wuxi, helped a lot. After the completion of the course, Gu Xiancheng and like-minded Gao Panlong, Qian Yiyi, Xue Fujiao, Shi Menglin, Yu Kongjian and others lectured among them, and those who came to listen to the lecture called Gu Xian Mr. Jingyang, and later some people called him Mr. Donglin.

At that time, many scholars who were not accepted by the rulers with morality retreated to the forest, and the reconstruction of Donglin Academy enabled them to find a soulmate, so they all rushed to come, making "the school house intolerable". Gu Xiancheng often said: "When a Beijing official is not loyal to the master, when a local official is not interested in the people's livelihood, and he does not pay attention to justice in the township, he is not worthy of being called a gentleman." These views of his comrades won the echo of his comrades. In addition to lecturing, they gathered together to discuss the government in euphemistic language, praising and deprecating the ruling ministers. Use "gentlemen" and "villains" to distinguish between good and evil in politics. In this way, some officials in the DPRK and China, such as Sun Piyang, Gong Nai, Zou Yuanbiao, Zhao Nanxing and others, also made peace with Donglin Academy and exchanged voices. With the consciousness of worrying about the country and the people, they intend to make a difference, and they have formed a political force that cannot be ignored, and the faction that opposes them calls them the "Donglin Party." The Donglin Party members are known as the "clear stream" and influence public opinion in the world.

The Donglin Party members were often not afraid of power, pleaded for the people's lives, boldly impeached the powerful people in the DPRK and China, opposed the "mining envoys" and "tax supervisors", and even dared to offend the "dragon face". When Li Sancai, the governor of Fengyang, was punished by the cabinet ministers, Gu Xiancheng, who was lecturing at Donglin Academy, wrote to Ye Xianggao and Sun Piyang, praising Li Sancai's political achievements. Wu Liang, the imperial historian, copied Gu Xiancheng's letter in the newspaper, which greatly annoyed the attackers of Li Sancai.

During Li Sancai's tenure as governor of Fengyang, he once confiscated hundreds of thousands of stolen money and a large number of rare treasures of Cheng Shouxun, a minion of eunuch Chen Zeng, and punished Cheng Shouxun according to law, doing a very happy deed. In the 27th and 28th years of Wanli, he repeatedly went to the court and stated the disadvantages of the mining tax. In the 30th and 31st years of Wanli, he repeatedly went to the post to oppose the mining tax, and proposed to dredge the canals, build sluices, and prevent floods and droughts. Li Sancai accused Emperor Shenzong in his recital against the mining envoy and tax supervisor, saying: "Your Majesty loves pearls and jades, and the people also want food and clothing; Your Majesty loves your children and grandchildren, and the people also love their wives and children." Why does Your Majesty want to amass treasures desperately but do not let the people meet the needs of the people? Why does Your Majesty want to prolong the blessings for thousands of years, but not let the people enjoy the joy of the day and the night?"

The imperial court was indecisive about Li Sancai's use, and the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites and the Zhan Shigong of the Zhan Mansion said: "Those who rely on the feudal territory today have not yet arrived." The three talents are slightly excellent, and the home is close to the hub, and it can be sent to the morning and evening. The waiter Zou Yuan made all his words, and stopped with words. Later, Yu Shi Ye had a voice to pursue the marriage between Gong Nai and Sancai, favoritism, and under the control of Wei Zhongxian of the imperial court, Gong Nai, the servant of the Ministry of Rites, was dismissed and cut off.

The Donglin Party has always opposed the concubine's interference in politics and the dictatorship of eunuchs, even if they cut down their posts and dismissed officials, and insisted on arresting and questioning them. In the "Struggle for the Country's Capital" incident and the subsequent "Attack," "Red Pill," and "Moving the Palace" case, the Donglin Party members all proceeded from the standpoint of safeguarding imperial power, persistently opposed Zheng Guifei and Li Xuanzhi's interference in politics, openly criticized the acts that endangered the crown prince and the emperor, and advocated that the parties involved in the three cases and their masterminds behind the scenes be severely investigated.

The Donglin Party members also tried to rectify the rule of officials in the "Jingcha Plan". "Jingcha" and "Waicha" are the two systems for evaluating officials. The "Jingcha" is to inspect the officials serving in Beijing once every six years, and the "Wai Cha" is to evaluate the officials who serve in the local government once every three years. Generally, when foreign officials come to Beijing to meet the emperor, they are given an inspection. "Jingcha" is based on the official's political performance and conduct, to decide on the promotion, demotion, dismissal and other rewards and punishments. If he is dismissed from office in the "Jingcha", he will not be used again for life. In the twenty-first year of Wanli, the Jingcha was presided over by Sun Kaogong, the secretary of the ministry, Zhao Nanxing of Langzhong, and Li Shida, the imperial history of Zuodu, who were all more upright and did not show favoritism. Lu Yinchang, a literary anthoralist, is Zhao Nanxing's nephew, and Wang Sanyu is a relative of Zhao Nanxing, and he was deposed because of poor evaluation. The Donglin Party also took the opportunity to depose some officials who had close ties to cabinet ministers. In the thirty-third year of Wanli, the presiding officer of the "Jingcha Plan" was the Donglin Party member Du Yu Shi Wenchun and the official Yang Shiqiao, who belittled the Zhejiang Party officials Qian Menggao, Zhong Zhaodou and others. However, the presiding officers of Nanjing's "Jingcha Plan" were the leaders of the Qi, Chu, and Zhejiang parties, and they took the opportunity to expel the officials of the Donglin Party. In the forty-fifth year of Wanli, the leader of the Zhejiang Party became the chief assistant of the cabinet, and the Donglin Party was greatly hit by the "Jingcha Plan" of this year. In this way, a situation of partisan rivalry was formed, and the political ideas of the Donglin party were also entangled with their motives to exclude dissidents, creating a pretext for their attackers.

During the period of Shenzong, Shenzong did not go to the court for a long time, and lived in the deep palace for a long time to live a life of "every night must drink, every drink must be drunk, every drunk must be angry", and the attendants around him were slightly unsatisfactory "under the cane". and is extremely greedy, eager to loot all the world's goods into the palace for him to squander. A large number of eunuchs were sent as "mine envoys" and "tax supervisors" to various places to extort and extort money, causing public resentment to boil. He set aside the appointment and dismissal of court officials, so that the incumbent officials could not be promoted, and it was difficult to fill the vacant positions in time. At the worst time, there was only one Shangshu of the six books, and all of them did not make up for 10 years. At that time, there was an imperial historian named Yuan Keli who once took the opportunity of Lei Zhen Jingdemen to continuously point at the emperor: "The rituals are not close, the court does not pay attention to the lectures, the chapters are not answered in time, and they are not all hired if they are abandoned ("Suizhou Chronicles"), which finally angered Emperor Shenzong and was reduced to the rank of the people for 26 years. The first assistant minister also made more than 100 requests one after another, but the emperor did not listen. In order to increase the number of cabinet ministers, the first assistant minister actually made more than 100 requests. In this way, it has encouraged factional disputes between the government and the opposition to become more and more intense.

In 1621 (the first year of the Apocalypse), Gong Nai saw that less than half a year after the change of the Yuan, more than a dozen people were punished for their words, and they went up twice in a row to persuade the emperor and his auxiliary ministers. But at this time, Xizong had been manipulated by the eunuch Wei Zhongxian, and what Gong Nai got was "reprimand" and "confession". As the teacher of the two emperors, Gong Nai hated Wei Zhongxian and his ilk who were authoritarian and chaotic, and the compilation of the "Records of Guangzong" angered Wei Zhongxian.

In the struggle between the imperial party, the later party, the eunuchs, and the courtiers, the upright and upright Gong Nai did not want to fall into a partisan struggle that attacked each other, and did not allow the eunuch Wei Zhongxian to frame Zhongliang, in order to correct the gossip spread by Wei Zhongxian and others, he angrily wrote to Xizong, asking him to preside over the compilation of the "Guangzong Record", and to write directly about Guangzong's political achievements and the secret affairs of the palace and the palace, "save its truth but not its falsehood", "In order to become a history of letters. Xizong did not approve his proposal.

At odds with the Donglin party and government were cabinet ministers Wang Xijue, Shen Yiyi, and Fang Congzhe, who were known as the "Zhejiang Party." In addition, there are "Qin Party", whose members are all bureaucrats from Shaanxi, and what "Qi Party", "Chu Party", and "Xuan Party" are all named after the place of origin of the leader. The political views of the "Qin Party" coincided with those of the "Donglin Party," and all other "parties" shared the same voice as the "Zhejiang Party," and the wind of party contention was very loud.