Kong Rong

Who was Kong Rong?

Kong Rong, courtesy name Wenju, was a politician, scholar and minor warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He was also a 20th generation descendant of Kong Qiu. As he was once the chancellor of Beihai Commandery, he was also known as Kong Beihai. He was defeated by Yuan Tan in 196 and escaped to the capital Xuchang. For being a political opponent of Cao Cao and humiliating him on multiple occasions, Kong Rong was eventually put to death on various charges.

Famed for his quick wits and elaborate literary style, Kong Rong was ranked among the Seven Scholars of Jian'an, a group of representative literati of his time. However, most of his works had been lost. Those that survived can be found in compilations from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

A well-known story commonly used to educate children even nowadays on the values of courtesy and fraternal love involves a four-year-old Kong Rong giving up the larger pears to his older and younger brothers. This story, commonly known as "Kong Rong giving up pears", is also mentioned in the Three Character Classic, a text used for elementary education since the Song Dynasty.