Ruan Yuan (阮元; 1764–1849) was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer of the
Qing Dynasty who was the most prominent Chinese scholar during the first half of the 19th century. He won the
jinshi degree in the imperial examinations in 1789 and was subsequently appointed to the Hanlin Academy. He was known for his work
Biographies of Astronomers and Mathematicians and for his editing the
Shisan Jing Zhushu (Commentaries and Notes on the Thirteen Classics) for the Qing emperor.
Ruan Yuan was a successful official as well as a scholar. He was the Viceroy of Liangguang, the most important imperial official in Canton (Guangzhou), during the critical years 1817–1826, just before the First Opium War with Britain. It was a crucial time when Chinese trade with the outside world was allowed only through the Canton System, with all foreigners confined to Canton, the capital of Guangdong Province. During his tenure in Canton, Ruan is estimated to have earned more than 195,000 taels of silver.
He was widely recognized as an official, scholar, and patron of learning both by his contemporaries and by modern scholars. He was also praised as an honest official and an exemplary man of the 『Confucian persuasion』. His name is mentioned in almost all works on Qing history or Chinese classics because of the wide range of his research and publications. A number of these publications are still reprinted. Ruan Yuan was a follower of the Han Learning tradition and as such, with the encouragement of Liu Fenglu, he edited and organized publication of the compendium of the imperial achievements in kaozheng scholarship, the Huang Qing Jingjie (:zh:皇清经解) published in 1829.
Kong Luhua (relative of the Duke Yansheng) was the second wife of Ruan Yuan.
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阮元（1764年 - 1849年），字
伯元，号
芸台（或作云台），又号揅经老人、雷塘庵主等，江苏仪徵人，
清朝政治人物，乾嘉学派经学家。
Read more...: 生平 著作 评价
生平
乾隆五十四年（1789年）己酉科进士，选为翰林院庶吉士，散馆授编修，督山东学政，任侍郎。嘉庆三年（1798年），任浙江巡抚，与李长庚督水师讨伐海盗，兴修海塘。后任湖广总督、两广总督、云贵总督。任内主张加强海防，对抗英军挑衅，亦曾多次镇压天地会活动。
嘉庆二年（1797年），阮元主浙江学政时，选拔浙江书生集中于孤山，编纂《经籍籑诂》。嘉庆六年（1801年），在原址创建诂经精舍（在今浙江博物馆东）。教育方针以穷经致用、实事求是、培育钻研精神为宗旨。
嘉庆十四年（1809），阮元受刘凤诰考场舞弊案牵连后，被革去浙江巡抚一职。这一年，阮元自愿出任国史馆总辑，负责总辑《国史儒林传》。早在乾隆三十年（1765），乾隆帝下召编纂《国史儒林传》，然而在种种原因下，却一直没有动工。嘉庆十五年（1810）十月，阮元自愿兼任国史馆总辑，纂辑儒林传后，开始儒林传之编纂。嘉庆十六年，补授詹事府少詹事。同年十二月初十日，「奉旨补授内阁学士兼礼部侍郎」。嘉庆十七年五月初八，补授工部右侍郎，兼管钱法事务。嘉庆十七年（1812）八月接替许兆桩为漕运总督，同月二十日将《儒林传稿》交付国史馆。
道光元年（1821年）阮元奏请申明禁鸦片，加重行商责任，夷船进口，照旧认保，另饬身家殷实的四行轮流加保，如有隐徇，分别惩办，并先将总商伍敦元加以处分。 阮元在杭州任职期间，大力疏浚西湖，并将挖出的淤泥堆成湖中小岛，后人称为「阮公墩」，今为观光点。道光十八年（1838年）以体仁阁大学士致仕。道光二十九年卒。諡文达。
著作
阮元擅长考证，精通经学，编纂《皇清经解》、《十三经注疏》等，又修编地方志书数种。还著有《畴人传》等。又创编清史《儒林传》、《文苑传》及《畴人传》，重修《浙江通志》、《云南通志》、《广东通志》。并购进四库未收古书一百馀部，每得一书，则仿《四库全书总目提要》撰《提要》一篇。
嘉庆初年，阮元搜集清代扬州学者1636人的诗作，编刻为《淮海英灵集》、《续集》。阮元又在浙江辑诗3133家，撰成《两浙輶轩录》。道光初年，阮元集清代前期诸家经说，汇为《皇清经解》一百八十馀种，凡一千四百馀卷。一时知名学者著述，多赖以刊行。自著为《揅经室集》。王国维著《国朝汉学派戴阮二家之哲学说》，将戴震与阮元并举。
评价
• 侯外庐称，阮元「扮演了总结18世纪汉学思潮的角色」，「在汇刻编纂上结束乾嘉汉学的成绩」。
• 胡适说：「阮元虽然自居于新式的经学家，其实他是一个哲学家。」
• 梁启超推其为乾嘉学术的护法神。
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