Ruan Kui-sheng's great-grandfather Ruan Jin is as famous as Yan Ruoqu, a famous scholar in his hometown, and he wrote Poems among Pavilions. Together, they were recommended by provincial officials to take the examination of erudition and rhetoric. Ruan's grandfather is a Guo-zi-jian diploma; Uncle Ruan Ying is a scholar and works as a doctor in the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. He was praised by Emperor Kangxi many times for his outspoken suggestions. Father Ruan Xuehao and uncle Ruan are both scholars, both of whom are editors in imperial academy, and they are all sent to the local area as examiners in charge of having obtained the provincial examinations, which is called "Huainan Er Ruan"; My younger brother Ruan Zhisheng was already a scholar at the age of twenty-four. Former cabinet secretary and county magistrate, good at poetry. Together with Ruan Kuisheng, he was praised as "Meishan Brothers" by people at that time. The couplet on the door of Ruan Ancestral Hall, "Three Scholars in One Door, Two Rural Scholars in Seven Generations", reflects Ruan's heyday.
Ruan Kuisheng's father, Ruan Xuehao (Pei Yuan), was a scholar during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. He was examined by imperial academy, studied politics in Hunan, passed the provincial examinations in Shaanxi and Shanxi, and tried to be the same as the examiner in Kyoto. He was awarded the title of scholar and scholar, and submitted it to the General Political Department of Dr. Zhong Xian for consultation. He was rigorous, knowledgeable and versatile all his life, and published four rites notes, teaching legacy wings, learning contract and other books to guide his scholars. In the 16th year of Qianlong (175 1), 49-year-old Ruan Xuehao resigned, returned to his hometown to serve his mother, and studied and gave lectures in his famous bookstore "Shaohu Caotang". "For more than ten years, he has never been out of the mountain, and he takes Huaihai scholars every day. There are hundreds of winners." Ruan's house was built on the south bank of Shaohu Lake, and the thatched cottage was built on Shaohu Lake, which was later changed to an academy. During the reign of Gan Yong, Huai 'an's literary style was very prosperous. At that time, the Academy (former site now) and Kuiwen Academy (former site now in the bosom) often invited Professor Pei to study classics. Ruan Xuehao saw that the government and county schools were not well maintained, so he initiated the establishment of a public welfare organization "Sweeping the Floor" and invited two people to raise funds to repair it, but he always gave the most money to Liang Yin. In addition, he also presented more than 0/00 books at home to Li Zheng College for students to learn.
Ruan Xuehao has two sons, the eldest son Ruan Kuisheng (1727- 1789), a famous treasure city, Pinglu and Lejun, whose name is Wushan, whose name is Anfu in the evening, and the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, who is famous for "having a chat over tea". The second son Ruan Zhisheng, because his uncle Ruan had no children, "became a scholar" and entered the Deqing magistrate as a non-commissioned officer. Because of its integrity, it was awarded a notice order on the north bank of Yongding River in Zhili.
My father, Ruan Xuehao, has been a writer in imperial academy for 20 years. His works are quite rich, such as The Draft of Yuxuan Pavilion and Poems of Zhisi Pavilion. His uncle Ruan wrote Poems of Xuncun, and his younger brother Ruan Zhisheng wrote Poems of Yongsu Zhai and Listening to Tides. Born in such a poetic family, Ruan Kui was edified from childhood and developed a hobby of writing poems. "Twenty years, two thousand poems have been compiled, and the poems are scattered in the wild" (a long sentence in the book "Ten Years Deleted Collection" given by Autumn Garden), and the first collection of poems and songs has been written since (1753). Later, he successively compiled Light Dance Collection, Cheng Pengji, Five Roots of Crossing the Corner, Jiao Hong Guanji, Shaohu Collection, Late Relocation Collection, Feng Qi Collection (1, 2 and 3), Xishan Collection and Bottle Flower Bookstore Collection. The Collection of Zhuo Qingzhai was compiled in 1789, that is, the year he died, so it can be seen that poetry creation accompanied him all his life.
Ruan Kuisheng was enthusiastic about village education before becoming famous and after becoming an official, and always sponsored the "sweeping party" founded by his father. In order to make the fund-raising play a "once and for all" role, he suggested that the fund-raising funds should be saved to earn interest. He also advocated buying land and paying villagers to collect grain and rent land to run schools. Therefore, Ruan's manor, Goose Qianzhuang (now southeast of Heshangzhuang outside the East Gate), is called "Thousand Villages". Ruan Kuisheng also has two sons, the eldest son Ruan Zhongqi, and the alternate chief secretary asked questions, but he never became an official. He has been adhering to the legacy of his ancestors at home, supervising the "sweeping party" and prohibiting corruption and fraud from profiting from it. Ruan Zhongjing, the second son, is a juren in Shuntianfu North List. He died at the age of 30.
Since the late Qing Dynasty, Ruan's family has been declining day by day and has never recovered. Manuscripts and books are extensive, but they are gradually lost. Fortunately, Ruan Anzai, the sixth generation grandson of Ruan Kuisheng, is now 70-50 years old, and he can still remember the legacy of his ancestors. Especially in the forty-seventh year of Qianlong, Ruan Kuisheng and Ruan Zhisheng rebuilt the "Yang Shan Ruan Family Tree" (a block-printed edition of Shaohu Caotang, divided into three volumes), but it was recovered and Huai 'an Library still exists today. This is of certain reference value to the study of Huai 'an cultural history, local anecdotes and Ruan's family background.
According to Ruan Jiapu, Ruan's ancestral home was Zaoer Village, Qingjiang County, Linjiang Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, and he settled in Huai 'an from the end of Yuan Dynasty to Wudegong. There is also a branch of Ruan family in Weifang, Shandong. According to "The Continuation of Shanyang County Records Celebrity Tomb", Ruan Xuehao and Ruan Kuisheng were buried in Qilitang (now southwest of Zhaoxu Village in Chengdong Township) after their death. Qi, a famous writer, once wrote an epitaph for Ruan Kuizhu, and the full text was included in Shanyang County Records.