Gu Xiancheng

Gu Xiancheng, along with Gao Panlong and other scholars, reestablished the Donglin Academy in Wuxi. The academy became a center for Confucian learning and political criticism, attracting scholar-officials who opposed corruption and eunuch influence at the Ming court.

Gu Xiancheng submitted memorials to the Wanli Emperor condemning corruption among court officials and the influence of eunuchs. His outspoken criticism made him a target of powerful enemies, but it also galvanized the Donglin movement's moral stance.

Gu Xiancheng died of natural causes in 1612, before the worst of the eunuch Wei Zhongxian's purges. His founding of the Donglin Academy established a tradition of scholar-official activism that influenced Chinese political thought for centuries.