Rong Yiren

Author: Ji Honggeng / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Born in 1916, the year when the Rong family rose to prominence, Rong Yiren was born during the prosperous era of the Rong enterprises. Around 1916, his father, Rong Desheng, and his uncle, Rong Zongjing, seized the opportunity when the major powers were preoccupied with World War I, establishing one flour mill after another and textile factories, greatly expanding the Rong enterprises. People said Rong Yiren was born at the right time. His birthday was May 1st, the twenty-ninth day of the third lunar month in Bingchen. "I was born in the Rong Xiang village in Wuxi, where I was a ‘country bumpkin,’" Rong Yiren humorously said when talking about his background in his Beijing home on December 12, 1987. Rong Xiang is located in the western suburbs of Wuxi, at the foot of the Huishan Mountains, by the Five-Lake shore, with Longshan to the north and Taihu Lake to the south. The area is densely crisscrossed with rivers and has fertile land. Rong Xiang is divided into Upper Rong Xiang, Middle Rong Xiang, and Lower Rong Xiang. Rong Yiren’s ancestral home was in Lower Rong Xiang, a typical Jiangnan town. Looking around: green mountains and clear waters, the beauty of the scenery, and the soft Wu dialect everywhere filled the area with a strong Jiangnan atmosphere.
When it comes to the origins of the Rong family, Rong Desheng wrote in The Continuation of the Story of the Joyful Farmer①: "Our family, since the Ming Dynasty, moved to Wuxi from Shandong’s Licheng. The ancestors were repeatedly summoned for official positions but declined, focusing on farming and leading modest lives. It was not until Tingfang, my great-grandfather, became a merchant that our family prospered. My brothers and I later transitioned from commerce to industry, gradually expanding our business until it covered nearly the entire country. However, we never forgot our farming roots, hence the courtesy name ‘Le’ (Joyful Farmer), to show our respect for our ancestors." As for where the family moved from before the Ming Dynasty, The Continuation of the Story of the Joyful Farmer does not elaborate. The Rong family genealogy, preserved in the Wuxi Library and compiled by Rong Fuling and Rong Desheng, records the positions held by the Rong family in various dynasties and important life events, accompanied by portraits, clothing, and illustrations. The genealogy reveals that the Rong family’s ancestral home was in Shandong’s Licheng, not Wuxi. It is said that 200 sets were printed, each containing 30 volumes. The founding ancestor, Rong Qing, was known as Shuilian Gong, with courtesy names Yiquan and Shuilian. He was the 14th generation of the Rong family’s close ancestors. Rong Qing was a man who loved reading but did not seek deep understanding. He was honest and enjoyed traveling, often walking alone in tranquil and elegant places.① He had no desire to become an official. In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, he traveled and arrived in Wuxi from Hubei along the Yangtze River, passing through Jinling (Nanjing). Seeing the poetic and picturesque scenery, he sighed, "What I had always longed for in my life, I have found here." He settled in Changqingli along the Liangxi River at the southern foot of Huishan, marking the beginning of the Rong family in Liangxi. The residence was called "Shuilian An," and there were even streets and bridges named after Shuilian. Rong Qing had three sons: Jixian, Chengxian, and Nianxian, whose respective living areas were called "Upper Rong," "Middle Rong," and "Lower Rong," which gave rise to the name "Rong Xiang." Today, in the western shore of Rong Xiang, a stone tablet over 1 meter high and more than 30 centimeters wide still stands. Despite being weathered by centuries, the inscriptions are now blurred. However, if one follows the carvings with chalk, the four large characters "Tian Jiao Shan Hai" (Heavenly Commanding Mountains and Seas) can be restored. These were the handwriting of Shuilian Gong, Rong Qing. It is said that Shuilian Gong erected over 20 such stone tablets. The one standing in the western shore is still remembered by some residents, who tell the following tale: The area around the western shore was often plagued by fires, and Shuilian Gong carved the stone tablet "Tian Jiao Shan Hai" to ward off the flames, hence its nickname "Fire-Averting Stone." Shuilian Gong’s fascination with Wuxi was natural. This gem of Taihu Lake boasts picturesque scenery and is a famous Jiangnan land of fish and rice. As early as 1044 BC, in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, Taibao, the eldest son of King Taishi of Zhou, came to Meili in Wuxi (now Dongmei Village in Wuxi) to live in seclusion and establish the Kingdom of Gouwu. Today, remnants such as Taibao’s Tomb can still be found in Hongshan, Dongmei Village. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the states of Wu and Yue fought over the Taihu Lake region. After Yue was defeated, King Goujian of Yue endured hardships and, after ten years of gathering strength and ten years of discipline, eventually destroyed Wu. After defeating Wu, the Yue minister Fan Li retired from office and lived in seclusion, rowing his boat on the Five-Lake in Wuxi. That is why the lake was later renamed Li Lake. From the Qin and Han dynasties to the Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Wuxi left behind many historical sites and precious artifacts. Historically, Wuxi was known as the "Cloth Port." It was also one of China’s four famous rice markets. Wuxi has a long-standing and amusing legend. During the Qin Dynasty, the eastern peak of Huishan was rich in tin and lead, earning it the name "Tin Mountain." When Emperor Gaozu of Han established a county government on Tin Mountain, the mountain no longer produced tin, so the county was renamed "Wuxi County." Between 9 and 23 AD, during Wang Mang’s rule, tin was found on Tin Mountain again, and the county was renamed "Yousi County." Legend has it that a woodcutter discovered a stone inscribed with the words: "Tin brings conflict; Wuxi brings peace." This meant that tin production in Wuxi would lead to chaos, while the exhaustion of tin in Tin Mountain would bring peace. By 25 AD, when Emperor Guangwu of Han established the Eastern Han Dynasty, the tin mines on Tin Mountain ran dry again, and the county was renamed "Wuxi County." After the liberation, there was a period when people claimed Wuxi still had tin. People jokingly said, "To ensure peace, it is better to believe in its absence than its presence, so the name need not be changed again." P2-4