Kong Rong was a very famous scholar living in 200 B.C. He was also the descendent of the great thinker Confucius. Kong Rong was rather bright as a child and many of his stories were recorded in the book Shi Shuo Xin Yu, or New Account of Tales of the World.

When Kong Rong went to Luoyang, with his father, he was only ten years old. At that time, Li Yuanli, the Supreme office inspector, was a man of great reputation in the country. Nobody except his relatives and those who possessed specific characteristics would be admitted into his presence.

"I'm a relative of your master," said the boy to the guards at the gate, who then led him in.

Seeing the boy, Li Yuanli wondered:  "What relationship is there between you and me?"

"In old times, my forefather Confucius had often sought advice for the things that he could not figure out from your ancestor Lao Zi. That makes a teacher-pupil relationship between them, therefore our two families have been closely related for many generations." That was the reply from the boy. Li Yuanli and all his other guests present were greatly surprised at the answer.

Chen Wei, another famous scholar of the time, came later and was told what Kong Rong had said. "Being bright in early childhood does not necessarily mean that he will be able to achieve anything when he grows up," he observed. In response, Kong Rong said," I guess you must have been very bright in your childhood," which made Chen Wei extremely embarrassed.

Another story about Kong Rong and his courtesy as a child. When the family eats pears together, he always picks the smallest pear. When asked why not take the bigger ones, the boy of four answered: "I am the youngest, it is only right that I take the smallest pear. I should let my elder brothers and sisters enjoy the bigger ones."

Kong Rong grew up to be a local official and a well-known scholar himself. However as he was in a chaotic time, Cao Cao, an important politician of the time, killed him.