The Donglin Academy enjoys a good reputation among ancient academies. It was built in 1111BC, during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, when it became a center for state affairs discussion.

There are a variety of architectures, featuring layout of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The couplets written by Gu Xiancheng showed ambition of the author and have been widely spread. The couplets mentioned above are hung on the wall of the Yiyong Hall. Explore historic attractions in Wuxi.