 Ruan Ji, like Ji Kang, captured the imagination of later generations as a model of authenticity, an intellectual who was completely true to his principles. An outstanding poet and musician, he is also remembered for his daring defiance of the Confucian orthodoxy, at a time when deviation from the norms of tradition could easily be deemed seditious. To his admirers, Ruan Ji was a tragic hero. Well versed in both Confucian and Daoist learning, he was evidently a man of principle who took seriously the calling of an intellectual to bring peace and harmony to the state. Hailing from a distinguished family, he was in a strong position to make a difference in public affairs. The unforgiving realities of third-century Chinese politics, however, soon took its toll on Ruan, who found himself trapped in a world of violence and duplicity. Proud and uncompromising, never a consenting partner in the intercourse of power, Ruan Ji had to endure repeated slander and escaped censure only by finding refuge in an almost constant intoxicated stupor.