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2. Intellectual Foundations and Political Beginnings: Beijing, 1786–93
- Hong Kong University Press, HKU
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2 Intellectual Foundations and Political Beginnings: Beijing, 1786–93 It was during this period of Ruan Yuan’s sojourn in Beijing as a candidate for the metropolitan examinations that the direction for his intellectual development and political future was set. As a young man from an obscure background without independent financial means, Ruan Yuan was distinguishable from other candidates only because he had the patronage of Zhu Gui. Zhu Gui, already an acknowledged leader in the world of intellectuals in 1786, was to become a powerful political figure after the death of Qianlong in February 1799, when his pupil, Jiaqing, assumed the control of the court and the government. Despite differences of almost thirty years in age, a close friendship developed between Zhu Gui and Ruan Yuan. This friendship was to last until Zhu’s death in 1807, when Ruan Yuan’s career was already launched. In the winter of 1786–7, Zhu Gui took over from Xie Yong as patron to the young candidate, taking his education in hand as he later charted the course of his political career. Ruan Yuan was placed in a hostel just inside the Qianmen Gate (前門), in a sector which controlled the entrance to the Inner City from the suburbs.1 Therefore, from the very outset, Ruan Yuan lived at a location with more convenient access to offices in the Forbidden City, such as the Imperial Study. Passing the Time A few months after he arrived in Beijing in 1786 Ruan Yuan registered for the Metropolitan Examination. It is not clear whether inadequate preparation, poor timing, or his preoccupation with matters not immediately connected with the examination was the cause, he failed the metropolitan examination on his first try. Evidently it was felt that perhaps the examiners knew Ruan Yuan’s handwriting, and were bending backwards not to give him high grades in order to avoid charges 1. Diziji 1. 38 Ruan Yuan, 1764–1849 of favouritism. Perhaps this was one reason for his closeting himself at the home of a classmate, Liu Huanzhi (劉鐶之 d. 1822),2 practising to change his handwriting to rid it of distinguishing characteristics. Since the next metropolitan examination was not to take place for three years, Ruan Yuan had an extended stay in the capital, during which his intellectual horizon broadened while future political connections were cemented. There is no written record on how Ruan Yuan managed to keep himself or where he was living. Zhaolin seemed to imply that he was spending a great deal of time at Zhu Gui’s residence. Reading late one night, Zhu came upon a rare work. ‘Superb!’ he exclaimed excitedly. He roused Ruan Yuan from a deep slumber, rushed him to light candles and mark the passage. ‘Here! There! Mark these passages! My eyes are old and tired. You can make yourself useful by marking these passages!’3 This incident, if it indeed took place, revealed the deep friendship between the two men, sharing the exciting experience of intellectual discovery, even if it meant being awakened from a deep sleep. Being around the Han Learning scholars at the Zhu brothers could not have hurt Ruan Yuan’s chances. Although he spent some time seriously trying to change the appearance of his handwriting, being ‘connected with those likely to serve as examiners and so well attuned to scholarly trends in the capital’4 could not possibly hurt a candidate. Ruan Yuan’s closeness with younger members of the Zhu clan was also evident. There is extant a letter addressed to ‘Number Eleven Elder Brother Shaobai (Shaobai shiyi xiong 少白十一兄)’.The letter, in the collection of Dr Wang Shih-chieh (王世杰 1890–1980), is now on deposit at the National Palace Museum.5 Dr Wang had asked Hu Shi about the letter. Hu Shi wrote that he had seen the bunch of letters in Dr Wang’s collection and found them extremely 2. Fang Chao-ying, biography of Liu Tongxun, in ECCP, pp. 533–4. Liu Huanzhi ranked twentysecond out of sixty-two, in the third group of the 1789 class of metropolitan graduates. He was appointed to the Hanlin Academy nevertheless since his family was prominent politically. He was a grandson of Liu Tongxun (劉統勳 1700–73) and a nephew of Liu Yong (劉墉 1720–1805), both high officials in the Qianlong era. Liu Huanzhi rose to the presidency of the Board of Revenue (1814–7) and the Board of Civil Service (1820–2). One of his sons, Liu Xihai (劉星海 d. 1853), was a well-known calligrapher...