吴荣光为岭南名宿，于金石书画，鉴别最精。曾以翁方纲、阮元为师，精于辞章。又从阮家得见珍贵书画、文物，因而精研碑帖拓本、吉金乐石，成为著名鉴藏家、金石学家。
  金石考证之学，特嗜古籍、金石收藏，所藏宋本颇多，官京师20余年，聚书有8 000卷，碑版2 000通，古文物好多为海内绝品。又历官至陕西、福建、浙江、贵州等地，闽浙多藏书旧家，收藏益丰，多至2万余卷。
       藏书楼曰“筠清馆”、“石云山房”、“友多闻斋”、“岘樵山房”等，又建“赐书楼”以储“先帝所赐上方善本”。善本书有《史记》、《汉书》、《苏诗》、《陈后山集》、《韵府群玉》等。
嘉庆十四年（1809）革职后，用书换米度日。
嘉庆二十三年（1818）复出任陕西陕安道，“以馆阁通行易得之本，悉赠友人”。在福建任职时，尚建凤池书院，捐书籍1 200余卷置于学校。
       藏书印有“坡可庵印”、“拜经老人”、“吴氏清筠馆所藏书画”、“岘樵山房藏书之章”、“荷屋审定”、“吴氏筠清馆所藏书画”、“吴伯荣氏秘籍之印”等10余枚。
  编有家藏真迹及拓本刻成《筠清馆法帖》6卷，康有为称其书法为清代广东第一人。修辑道光《佛山忠义乡志》14卷。

著述有《历代名人年谱》、《吴荷屋自订年谱》、《筠清馆金文》、《筠清馆钟鼎款识》、《吾学录》、《帖镜》、《盛京随扈日记》、《筠清馆金石录》、《金石款识类》、《绿伽南馆诗稿》、《辛丑销夏记》、《石云山人诗稿》、《石云山人诗文集》等。
       张维屏《艺谈录》谓“粤东百余年来，论书法推四家：冯鱼山敏昌、黎二樵简、吴荷屋荣光、张懈山岳崧”。《晚晴糁诗汇》称其诗“纪事述情，不规规摹仿前人。潘文恭序其集云：‘风雅一律，忠孝备于人伦；经济万言，忧乐先于天下。’足见其大概”。著有《石云山人集》、《历代名人年谱》。生平事迹见《清史列传》卷三八、《国朝耆献类征》卷一九九、《国朝书人辑略》卷八。
其作品《石云山人集》收录在《清代稿钞本》中。

西湖泛月记
仪征阮先生抚浙七年，尽湖山之胜，为余述谚语：“晴湖不女口雨湖，雨湖不如月湖。”先生听政之暇，偕客夜泛，有记。
       庚午七月，余至杭州，为方芑堂孝廉、稚韦明经述之，则曰：“且待山阴诸子来。”越数日，诸子毕至，遂以望夕，泛棹湖中。微雨既濛，薄雾方暖，水光岚气，回合苍茫，少焉，舟至湖心亭，而月出中天矣：当头一轮，把酒欲问。俄则阴云复合，骤雨四围，沾湍衣履，遂鼓棹归。
       是行也，稚韦未与，诘旦语之，稚韦曰：“盍再游乎?朝晖清朗，今夕必晴。”因留余于白云庵，招古华太守、小茗学博，复为泛月之游。溯洄而西，由三潭尽六桥，历前后湖诸胜。复至湖心事，天水一碧，月色如镜。西望弢光、天竺双峰之秀，或远或近。而东南则吴山诸景，皆在其中。其北孤屿独立，烟霞护之，若有人焉，呼之或出。乃泊段桥，沿白沙堤，观六一泉，登看经阁，拜白、苏二先生之祠。夕荷既香，风露交翠，相与徘徊久之。放棹中流，古华太守举酒相属，扣舷浩歌，歌曰：“举头明月兮不可期，乐莫乐兮新相知。”余歌曰：“结璘之宇兮高且寒，我欲归去兮路漫漫，路漫漫兮不可阶，乐今夕兮与子盘桓。”
       顾谓诸子：“余此湖凡四游历矣。忆己未岁首公车过此时?为春湖。庚申十月携妇子游时，为冬湖。丁卯利科试事竣，与当事者游时，为秋湖。今蒙圣恩，暂归田里，复经此地，得与诸君勾留乐此。今夕水月如常，人事几变迁矣。诸君虽生长于斯，而驰驱禄养，他日求如此夕之闲，殆不可必。”古华太守又适在告，与余皆闲人也：古人云：“今夕相乐，皆当喜欢。”余之文固不足以拟余师，而此一游也未知较绣衣拥节人政事余闲、薄携宾从，其乐同否?万籁俱寂，晓钟一声，湖山苍苍，若肯斯语。舍舟登岸，扣南屏山寺门，秉烛录之，以质仪征先生。

Wu Rongguang (1773 ~ 1843) Qing collection of books, epigraphy, painting and calligraphy. Formerly known as Liao Guang, the word temple wall, the word Burong, No. Dutch house, can Um, do not worship the elderly, stone Yunshan, Guangdong Nanhai (now Guangzhou) people. Jiaqing four years (1799) examination, official editing, pull censor, the governor of Tianjin. The Henan Road to monitor the censor, Daoguangnian to the Hunan governor and the Governor of Huguang, Guizhou governor, governor of Hunan and other staff, after being demoted to Fujian governor.
Biography
Wu Rongguang for Lingnan celebrities, in the stone painting, identification of the most refined. Once Weng Fang Gang, Ruan Yuan as a teacher, skilled in speech. And from the Ruan see precious paintings, cultural relics, and thus rubbings rubbings rubbing, Kyrgyzstan Le Stone, a famous collector, jinshi.
  Jin Shi research, special addicted to ancient books, stone collection, the possession of a lot of Song, the official capital of more than 20 years, 8,000 volumes of books, tablet version of 2000 pass, a lot of ancient artifacts for the domestic special products. Also calendar officer to Shaanxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Guizhou and other places, Fujian and Zhejiang more than a collection of old home, collection Yifeng, as many as 2 million volumes.
       The bookstore said, "Yun Qing Museum", "Shi Yunshan room", "Friends of the smell of fasting," "Daqiaoshan room", and built "give the bookstore" to store "the emperor gave the top of the rare". Rare books are "Historical Records", "Han", "Su Shi", "Chen Hill set", "Rhyme House Jade" and so on.
Jiaqing fourteen years (1809) after the dismissal, with books for rice.
Jiaqing twenty-three years (1818) reappointed Shaanxi Shaanxi Road, "to the Pavilion House easy to get the book, to donate friends." In Fujian, Shang Jianfeng Chi College, donated more than 1 200 volumes of books placed in school.
       The collection of books printed with "Poko can India", "worship by the elderly", "Wu Qingyun Museum collection of painting and calligraphy", "Daqian mountain house collection of the chapter", "Dutch house validation", " Tibetan painting and calligraphy "," Wu Bo Rong's Cheats printed "and so on more than 10 pieces.
  Compiled a home possession authentic and Rubbings carved into "Yun Qing Museum Fateh" 6 volumes, Kang Youwei call the calligraphy for the first person in Guangdong in the Qing Dynasty. Repair of light "Foshan loyalty Township" 14 volumes.