The Wanli Emperor was the 14th emperor of the Ming dynasty, ascending the throne in 1572 at the age of nine. His 48-year reign was the longest among all Ming emperors. The first half of his reign saw financial and administrative reforms as well as military strengthening under the guidance of Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng and Empress Dowager Li. In the 1590s, his government executed three major military campaigns: the Ningxia rebellion, the Imjin War on the Korean Peninsula, and the rebellion of Yang Yinglong in Bozhou. However, he engaged in a protracted dispute with his officials over the choice of the crown prince, and from around 1600 onwards, he gradually withdrew from active governance. Factional strife among bureaucrats, financial distress, and the rise of the Later Jin combined to weaken the foundations of Ming rule toward the end of his life. He died in 1620 and was succeeded by his eldest son, the Taichang Emperor.

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