Ruan Yuan Square

Ruan Yuan Square

Located at the southwest corner of Ruan Yuan’s Family Temple at No. 8 Yuxian Street, covering an area of over 1,800 square meters, it is one of the “Eight Cultural Squares” projects designated by the municipal government in 2015 to celebrate the city’s 2,500th anniversary. The square features a Ruan Yuan sculpture, bamboo groves, corridors and pavilions, as well as a brick-carved wall depicting “Tea Meditation in the Bamboo Grove,” all blending seamlessly with the Ruan Yuan Family Temple.

At the entrance of the square stands a Taishan stone over two meters tall, inscribed with the four characters “Ruan Yuan Square.” On the back is an annotation for “Tea Meditation in the Bamboo Grove”: “Ruan Yuan once said: ‘When I was the Governor of Zhejiang at the age of forty, I would always meditate on tea outside on my birthdays. At fifty, I did so on a grain transport boat; at sixty, among the bamboo groves while also serving as Governor of Guangdong; at seventy, in a snow boat on the Qianxi River. All my life I avoided noisy environments. By the age of eighty-two, I meditated on tea at Changlu Nunnery, thus finalizing my lifelong commitment to tea solitude.’ He refused gifts such as silk or candles from his disciples and subordinates.”

The bronze statue of Ruan Yuan is the highlight of the square. Under the shade of ancient trees, Ruan Yuan appears graceful in flowing robes, with a gentle expression and a book in hand, exuding the demeanor of a distinguished scholar-official who upheld integrity in office and rigor in scholarship. The statue was primarily inspired by an image of Ruan Yuan from a foreign book cover—a painting by the court artist Giuseppe Castiglione. The statue stands 2.05 meters tall and weighs about 600 jin, portraying Ruan Yuan around the age of 60. In front of the statue is an inscribed stone reading: “Ruan Yuan (1764–1849), courtesy name Boyuan, also known as Yuntai or Master of Leitang An, and in his later years as the Joyful Elder, was a native of Yizheng, Jiangsu. He passed the imperial examination in the 54th year of the Qianlong reign (1789) and successively served as Vice Minister of Rites, War, Revenue, and Works; as Educational Commissioner of Shandong and Zhejiang; as Governor of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Henan; as Grand Canal Transport Commissioner; as Governor-General of Huguang, Liangguang, and Yunnan-Guizhou. Serving through the Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang reigns, he was conferred the titles of Guanglu Grand Master, Grand Tutor, and Grand Secretary of Tiren Hall, with the posthumous name ‘Wenda.’ He was revered as a Grand Tutor across three reigns, a regional governor over nine provinces, and a literary master of his time.”

On the southern side of the square, winding corridors extend toward the nearby bamboo groves and ancient well. The west-facing garden gate bears a plaque inscribed with “Tea Meditation in the Bamboo Grove.” Amidst green bamboos on the southern side of the square stands a square pavilion with a plaque bearing the two characters “Qingfeng” (Pure Breeze), inscribed by Ruan Yuan. The couplet reads: “Water, with its gentle nature, is my friend; bamboo, with its hollow heart, is my teacher,” also written by Ruan Yuan. Facing east, the wall inside the screen wall features an 8-meter-long, 1-meter-high brick carving titled “Tea Meditation in the Bamboo Grove,” created by Pan Ruilong, a master of Yangzhou brick carving and inheritor of intangible cultural heritage. The carving, presented in the form of a comic strip, depicts scenes of Ruan Yuan maintaining clean governance and avoiding gifts from others.

Ruan Yuan composed the poem “A Quatrain Inscribed on the Self-Portrait of the Bamboo Grove Tea Meditation Painting,” preceded by a short preface: “At the time, I was overseeing Liangguang and concurrently holding the seal of Governor. In the eastern garden of the Governor’s Office, the bamboo was lush and there was hardly a trace of people. I avoided visitors by meditating on tea in the bamboo all day, echoing the sentiment of my past moment of solitude in Guangxi. I painted a self-portrait of meditating on tea in the bamboo grove and inscribed this quatrain.” The poem reads: “A thousand bamboo stalks and a single tea stove—trying to paint a secluded scene in the deep woods. How could I often enjoy such leisure like an old gardener? Yet even such occasional retreats feel like home. The brush captures my eyes, dark and soulful; the mirror reveals my beard, white and full. For over twenty years I held official posts—who knew that the one poring over books was but a bookish recluse?” Today, Ruan Yuan Square has not only become a popular leisure spot for locals and tourists, but also a new highlight for integrity education.