Hu (1823 ~ 1885), a native of Jixi, Anhui Province, was once a famous Huizhou merchant because he was doing business in Hangzhou and lived in Hangzhou. 1866, helped Zuo establish Fuzhou Shipping Bureau. After Zuo Tang Zong was transferred to the post of Governor but so do dungans, he presided over the affairs of Shanghai Mining Bureau, borrowed foreign debts for Zuo Da, raised salary and ordered arms. Relying on the strength of the Xiang army, he set up more than 20 Fukang banks in various provinces to deal in Chinese medicine and silk tea. And opened Hu Qingyutang Chinese medicine shop.
When I was a child, my family was poor and I lived by helping people herd cattle. I stayed for a while. I was recommended as an apprentice to a surnamed Yu in Hangzhou, and I was appreciated by my boss. I was appointed as an agent. Xianfeng ten years (1860), before he died, he accepted a gift from a bank. He opened a Fukang bank, made friends with people in officialdom and became a big businessman in Hang Cheng. In the 11th year of Xianfeng (186 1), the Taiping Army attacked Hangzhou, and Yong Guang bought and transported arms and grain from Shanghai and Ningbo to help the Qing army. Left as the governor of Zhejiang, he was appointed as the general manager, presiding over the province's money, grain and military pay, so Fukang Bank made a lot of profits. Officials inside and outside Beijing take Fukang as their external library, regardless of the storage. He also helped Zuo to start a business, presided over the Shanghai Mining Bureau, and was in charge of the political situation like Fujian. He bought foreign machines and arms, invited foreign technicians, and got a lot of kickbacks from them. He also manipulated Jiangsu and Zhejiang businessmen, specializing in exporting silk and tea, manipulating the market and monopolizing finance. In the eleventh year of Tongzhi (1872), there were more than 20 branches of Fukang Qianzhuang, which spread all over the country. The capital is more than 20 million taels, and the land is 1 10,000 mu. Because of his assistance to Zuo Yougong, he once awarded Jiangxi alternate road and yellow jacket, which is a typical official and businessman. In the 13th year of Tongzhi, Hu Qingyutang Xue Ji Sinopharm was established, and in the 2nd year of Guangxu (1876), he bought land in Yongjinmen, Hangzhou, and built a rubber factory on 10 mu. Hu Ji's drug number, based on a well-known pharmacy, hired Zhejiang famous doctors to collect ancient prescriptions, summed up experience, selected more than 400 prescriptions such as pill powder and gel dew oil wine, and refined them into medicines, which are convenient to carry and take. At that time, wars were frequent and epidemics were prevalent, and drugs such as "Hu's spleen warming pill", "Zhuge San" and "Babao red collar pill" were very popular. Since then, Hu personally wrote the plaque "Never cheat", telling employees that "the pharmaceutical industry is related to life, especially not to cheat" and "the procurement service is true and the repair service is fine". The medicinal materials used are directly purchased from the place of origin, and a deer garden is set up. Hu Qingyutang has become a large-scale national medicine number of comprehensive preparations of Chinese patent medicines, enjoying a good reputation at home and abroad, and promoting the development of Chinese medicine. In the eighth year of Guangxu (1882), Yong Guang opened a silk factory in Shanghai, which cost 20 million taels of silver and collected millions of tons of domestic new silk at a high price, in an attempt to monopolize the silk trade, angered foreign businessmen and jointly refused to buy China silk. Because the customs delivery is in the hands of outsiders, it cannot be delivered directly. The following summer, I was forced to sell it at a low price, with a loss of 10000000, and half of my family's assets went, and the turnover was ineffective, and the news spread everywhere. Bureaucrats all over the country compete for deposits and organize extortion. 1 1 month, local enterprises closed down, the property was sold, and the rest of Hu Qingtang changed hands, announcing the closure. Then, Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the dismissal and investigation, and strictly investigated the charges. Yong Guang fired his concubines and servants, who would rather die than leave Hu Xueyan.
Hu Xueyan, a famous businessman, finally went bankrupt. The rich family wealth and flashy life he once had failed to leave inheritance and yearning for future generations. However, Hu Qingyu Hall, which he carefully built, still stands on the street of Hangzhou with its fine tradition of "not bullying" and "being genuine", although an imperial envoy, Da Wenyu, helped Hu Xueyan to take over Hu Qingyu Hall in order to preserve the treasury of Chinese medicine. Kind people still remember his surname Hu, and praised the name of Hu Xueyan for Hu Qing's detention.
In the late Qing Dynasty, there were Hu Xueyan in the south and Dashengkui in the north. Personally, I think Hu Xueyan should be the idol of businessmen in China at present. There is no doubt that he is both an official and a businessman, and at the same time, he can eat black and white, which is admirable. In today's China, the power of the government is unlimited, and its authority is enormous. Therefore, if an enterprise wants to be big, it must find this backer.
Hu Xueyan's personal charm is even better. Although he has so many wives, his family relations are handled very well, and different wives in different periods have played a very important role. In the absence of a credit contract today, it is even more powerful to have a wife to help (a relatively stable husband and wife contract)!
Dashengkui is engaged in border trade. In closed China at that time, smuggling certainly made a lot of money, so it should be said that there is no reference in today's open environment.
To sum up, I think the environment in foreign countries is far from that in China. To do business in China, we should study Chinese studies, China's unique bureaucratic system, interpersonal relationship and credit system. Hu Xueyan deserves to be the idol of Chinese businessmen! !
Hu Xueyan was a famous businessman in China in 1970s and 1980s. His experience is full of legend: he started as a clerk in a bank and helped the court by making friends with powerful people; In the Westernization Movement, he hired foreign craftsmen and introduced equipment, which was quite rewarding. He made great contributions to the Western Expedition through raising grain machinery and borrowing foreign money. After many twists and turns, he jumped from a banker to a prominent red-topped businessman. He established a financial network based on banks and pawn shops, opened pharmacies and silk stacks, and not only did business with foreigners, but also fought against them.
Hu Xueyan's life, merits and demerits mixed, here only analyzes his humanity. An important reason for Hu Xueyan's success is that he is good at employing people, learning from each other's strengths and not seeking perfection. He said that a person's greatest ability is to use people. Gu Sixie, a poet in A Qing, once wrote: A swift horse dares to take risks, and ploughing is not as good as an ox. A strong car can carry a load, but it is better to sail across the river. It's hard to find wisdom and height. Raw materials are expensive and applicable, so be careful not to demand too much.
My family was poor when I was a child. In order to support his family, as the eldest son, he was recommended by his relatives to be an apprentice in the bank, starting with chores such as sweeping the floor and emptying the urinal. After three years of service, he became a full-time employee of the bank because of his diligence and sureness. It was during this period that Hu Xueyan became a rich man with the help of Wang Youling, a friend in need.
Wang Youling, Yu Xuexuan, from Hougong, Fujian. During the Daoguang period, Wang Youling once donated the Zhejiang Salt Transport Ambassador, but he had no money to go to Beijing. Hu Xueyan took a fancy to pearls, and felt that there was much to be done, so he gave Wang five hundred and twenty pieces of silver and told him to go to Beijing as soon as possible to get an official position. Later, Wang Youling met his good friend and assistant minister He Guiqing in Tianjin, and he recommended him as the general manager of Zhejiang Grain Station. After Wang Youling made his fortune, he did not forget Hu Xueyan's kindness, so he funded Hu Xueyan to open his own bank and named it "Fukang". Since then, under the constant promotion of Wang Youling, Hu Xueyan's business has grown bigger and bigger. Besides banks, many shops have been opened.
Geng Shenzhi became the starting point of Hu Xueyan's great development. During the change, Hu Xueyan was calm, secretly hooked up with the military, and deposited a large amount of recruitment funds in Hu's private bank. Later, Wang Youling was entrusted with the responsibility of "running grain machinery" and "managing grain transportation", and almost mastered the wartime finance and economics of more than half of Zhejiang, laying a good foundation for future development.
Besides Wang Youling, there is another person who has also played an important role in the rapid rise of Hu Xueyan. This person is Zuo.
1862, Wang Youling hanged himself for losing the city. Elected by Zeng Guofan, Zuo succeeded the Governor of Zhejiang. When Zuo was in Anhui, the progress of the project was nearly five months behind, and many people died of hunger and war. This time, the invasion of Zhejiang, food shortage and other issues still plagued Zuo, which made him extremely distressed. Hu Xueyan, who was eager to find a new backer, seized this opportunity again: he gave a timely help. In the war environment, he completed the almost impossible task of raising 100,000 grain in three days, showed his talents in front of the left, gained the appreciation of the left, and was entrusted with an important task. After gaining Zuo's trust, Hu Xueyan, as an official and businessman, often traveled between Ningbo, Shanghai and other trading ports where foreigners gathered. In addition to handling the transshipment of grain tables and receiving military supplies, he also seized the opportunity to associate with foreigners, colluded with foreign officials, and trained about a thousand left "Chang" people, all of whom were equipped with foreign guns. This army attacked Ningbo, Dai Feng and Shaoxing with the Qing army.
Hu Xueyan is a businessman, and businessmen naturally put interests first. During Zuo's tenure, Hu Xueyan managed the affairs of the Disaster Relief Bureau. He set up porridge factories, good halls and righteous mats, restored famous temples and ancient temples, and collected hundreds of thousands of violent skeletons; The ox cart that was once terminated due to the war was restored, which facilitated the people; "Persuade donations" to senior officials and gentry to solve the post-war financial crisis. Therefore, Hu Xueyan gained great fame and credibility. In this way, financial resources rolled in. Since the Qing army captured Zhejiang, all plundered things, big or small, have been stored in Hu Xueyan's money houses. Hu used this as capital, engaged in trade activities, and opened business houses in various towns, which made a lot of profits. In just a few years, his property has exceeded10 million.
The famous Westernization Movement in the late Qing Dynasty was initiated by Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang. In the war with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the three men realized the importance of advanced western military technology and urgently demanded to learn from the West and resist aggression. However, due to their special status, it is inconvenient to deal with foreigners. In this way, Hu Xueyan, who was closely associated with the Left, found his place in the Westernization Movement. Assist Zuo in establishing Fuzhou Shipping Bureau and Gansu Weaving Bureau. Help Zuo introduce machines and use new western machines to dig canals. It is no exaggeration to say that Left contributed a lot to Hu Xueyan's success in his later years.
1880, Hu Qingyutang's capital increased to 2.82 million taels of silver, which reflected the north and south of Beijing's century-old Tongrentang, and was known as "Tongrentang in the north and Qingyutang in the south". Hu Xueyan, the founder of Hu Qingyutang, who was born in a bank and was unfamiliar with the pharmaceutical industry, wrote a brilliant stroke in the history of China's pharmaceutical industry, so that Hu Xueyan's reputation would not be diluted by time. This is one good turn deserves another!
In addition to setting up Hu Qingyu Hall to help the world, Hu Xueyan also borrowed foreign money to explore the West for Zuo, successfully recovered Xinjiang for Zuo, and ended Agubo's brutal rule in Xinjiang for more than ten years, which made a great contribution and wrote a wonderful stroke in his life.
1866, the left was transferred from the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang to the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and was ordered to go to the western expedition. As the saying goes, "the soldiers and horses have not moved, and the grain and grass come first": although the funds for the Western Expedition Army are raised by the provinces, the amount is small and often in arrears. In order to solve the problem of funds, Zuo had to invite foreign funds for emergency.
The heavy responsibility of dealing with foreign debts naturally falls on Hu Xueyan's shoulders. Hu Xueyan intends to borrow money from Standard Chartered Bank through the arrangement of Gu Yingchun, a friend who works as a deputy in Shanghai HSBC. The first interview between Hu and the bank manager ended in discord because they could not reach an agreement on issues such as interest and loan term. Later, under the careful planning of Hu Xueyan, the general manager of Standard Chartered Bank in China, who claimed to be China Connect, was completely persuaded, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement on details such as interest, term and repayment method. Hu Xueyan raised the first loan for the Western Expedition.
Since then, in order to help the Western Expedition, Hu Xueyan has borrowed money from foreigners for six times, and the accumulated juice amount is18.7 million taels of silver, with interest accounting for at least half, which can be said to be a very amazing usury. But judging from the situation at that time, it was worthwhile to take advantage of the situation.
Of course, profit-seeking is the nature of businessmen, and Hu Xueyan can't be free from vulgarity. He used the difference between the interest paid by the loan and the interest paid by Ai to get a "kickback". But on the whole, when the army of the Western Expedition was short of food at that time, and all parties shirked each other, Hu Xueyan was able to stand up and take the trouble to shoulder the heavy responsibility of raising foreign funds and help Zuo Zongtang keep Xinjiang in the Western Expedition, which still showed his patriotism. Although we often associate the word "rape" with "business", there is even a saying that "no rape, no business", but in fact, all business people have temperament, and Hu Xueyan is one of them. After his success, he never forgot his birthplace-Hangzhou, and did many good deeds for the people of Hangzhou. He opened the Qiantang River Yidu. It has facilitated the connection between the "Upper Eight Houses" and the "Lower Three Houses", and set up boats to provide convenience for passengers waiting to cross the river, thus winning the reputation of "Hu Da Good Man". He is also very enthusiastic about charity, and has donated money and materials to flood and drought areas such as Zhili, Shaanxi, Henan and Shanxi for many times. To 1878, together with the medicinal materials donated by Hu Xueyan to the Western Expedition Army, it is estimated that he has donated 202,000 silver for disaster relief. What is even less well known is that in the case of Yang Naiwu Cabbage, which caused a sensation in one's hand and in one's hand, he used his reputation to organize Beijing officials and sponsor money, which finally made a great contribution to the case and made his reputation more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. In addition, he went to Japan twice to buy back China cultural relics lost in Japan at a high price. From these actions, we can see his kind heart and patriotic heart.
There is an old saying: "Blessed people are bound to be in trouble." Hu Xueyan galloped in the shopping mall for many years, relying on the official background, and gradually reached the peak of his career, with infinite scenery, but his final failure was also due to the collapse of the official background and the feud of officialdom. Although Hu Xueyan is a businessman, his prosperity is closely related to the protection of political dignitaries. Hu Xueyan firmly grasped the essence of "enjoying the cool under a big tree". He first started a bank with the help of his friends, and then founded Hu Qingyutang with the support of the left. He borrowed foreign money to explore the west and restored the ox cart that was terminated because of the war, which made certain contributions to the people and the country, thus reaching the peak of his career. As a businessman, he was given a top hat and a yellow jacket, which is rare in the history of China. But it is such a man with fame and fortune and a successful career that he collapsed in a few days and his career came to an end. On the surface, Hu Xueyan's business failed because he was too ambitious, eager to expand, and made mistakes in decision-making, which led to a bank run due to insufficient liquidity, leading to the closure of his silk shop, Gongdang and Huqingyutang. However, the underlying cause of Hu's failure is the attack of political opponents. Although Hu Xueyan was shrewd all his life and kept close contact with officialdom figures, he was a "victim" of the political struggle between Left and Li Hongzhang because he didn't understand bureaucracy, was headstrong and inflexible, and became a victim of Li Hongzhang's strategy of "Left is the top, left is the bottom", which really made people lament. After the bankruptcy of Hu Xueyan, the beautiful concubines who had previously married Hu Gulai for money changed their old ways of scrambling to marry Hu Gulai, lost their warmth and asked to leave with their own private money. Only Mrs. Luo Si stayed with Hu. Accompanied by Mrs. Luo Si and relying on Hu Qingyutang's meager income, Hu Xueyan spent his old age alone and died in the 11th year of Guangxu (AD 1885).
Hu Xueyan's life is very dramatic. In just a few decades, he changed from a banker to a famous red-topped businessman in the Qing Dynasty. He takes "benevolence" and "righteousness" as the core of his business, is good at improvising and never opportunistic, which makes his business flourish; He has money but never forgets his roots, knows the true value of money and does good deeds. While winning a good reputation, he is also satisfied. In his career, he did not forget to worry about his country, assisted in the left-west expedition and safeguarded the territorial integrity of the motherland; In the Westernization Movement, he also contributed his own strength and made outstanding contributions. Of course, he also failed to get rid of the stereotype that businessmen put interests first, and his life was extremely luxurious. However, after all, no one is perfect, and there are many places worth learning from Hu Xueyan, a big businessman.
Zeng Guofan is a must-read for officials and Hu Xueyan is a must-read for businessmen.
Hu Xueyan's business training is "Heaven", "Earth" and "Man". Its contents are: Heaven is the innate wisdom and the basis of doing business; Land is cultivated for the day after tomorrow, relying on honesty; People are kind, know how to choose, and pay attention to "a gentleman loves money and takes it wisely."
Hu Xueyan, a businessman with red top, was a legendary figure in the political and business circles in the late Qing Dynasty. He was born as an apprentice in a poor bank, and his career rose in a short time, which formed an anomaly in modern China's financial career. Later, he helped Zuo to carry out the "Western Expedition" and won the title of "Official Department's Shangshu", wearing "Red Top" and "Huangmahang", a historical relic of the Qing Dynasty for more than 200 years. Hu Xueyan is the only one who got an official position in business and hung in Huang Ma wearing a red hat. When he was young, Hu Xueyan was generous to Ren Xia, but he was furious. He is willing to lose his job in order to save the emergency; Unexpectedly, this guy rose to the top, but took the first step in Hu Xueyan's career. The process of knowing and falling in love with Zuo is also full of drama. However, Hu Xueyan's experience in officialdom is amazing, and his contacts with "Jianghu people" are even more amazing. As a "loophole" outside the threshold, he made friends with the leader of Cao Gang (later "green gang"), the largest gang in the south of the Yangtze River, and gained respect for his extraordinary knowledge, frank and honest personality and unique ability, so that Cao Gang was even called "little uncle" from top to bottom. But it is such a person who went in and out of a shopping mall and an imperial temple in rivers and lakes. He was extremely rich for a while, but his career collapsed in a short time and his reputation was ruined. Hu Xueyan, a red-crowned businessman, ended up in a rather bleak situation. It's sad to watch him rise and his building collapse. This three-volume book is the first in the "Hu Xueyan Series", which describes Hu Xueyan's journey from helping Fujian native Wang Youling start his official career to galloping through the shopping malls. The Merchant of the Red Roof is the second part of Levin's famous contemporary historical novel Hu Xueyan Trilogy. It follows the rise of Hu Xueyan and the decline of the Hu family in the lighthouse. However, Levin's three novels have their own characteristics because of their historical deeds and anecdotes. The book depicts the intricate relationship between politics, business, people and rivers and lakes, which often reminds people of many bizarre phenomena in contemporary society. From the past to the present, it is absolutely fascinating.
Hu Xueyan was born in poverty, and lived in the late Qing Dynasty, a time of great changes in the sea ban. With his quick thinking and extraordinary courage, he was able to stand out from the increasingly complex society, successfully promoted "international trade" and became the richest man in the late Qing Dynasty. He is called "Red Top Merchant" and has three official titles. Levin's Hu Xueyan has the value of the times. It not only outlines a typical traditional China businessman, but also establishes an ideal image for today's high altar with the mind and ambition of the protagonist. However, the invasion of foreigners in the late Qing Dynasty caused drastic social changes, and Hu Xueyan, which represents the way of traditional shopping malls, could not avoid the dilemma of decline.
Hu Xueyan is a legendary "Red Top Merchant" in modern China. His business ability and tact have always been praised by the world. Under the complicated historical background of the late Qing Dynasty, through the ups and downs of Hu Xueyan's life, this book shows the richness and splendor of modern China's social life and the great wisdom of Chinese businessmen in the contest between national capital and foreign capital. At the same time, through the successful experience of Hu Xueyan, the relationship between business and politics is revealed. In particular, the novel ended Hu Xueyan's brilliant business career with tragedy, giving people endless enlightenment.
Er Yuehe, a famous writer of historical novels, launched this new work with his partner * * after several years of silence, which is another latest exploration after his TV series with the same theme.
Editor's recommendation
"Hu Xueyan is a tragic figure in the tragic era. At that time, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement was going on, and the great powers were carrying out cultural aggression and economic aggression against China. The relationship between Li Hongzhang and Zuo in promoting the Westernization Movement is very complicated. He is an extremely clever man, who emerged and developed under such a historical background, publicized himself and eventually died out. He is approachable, difficult to provoke, honest and smooth, neither more nor less, and has used Confucius' golden mean to the extreme all his life. "
-February River
As for Hu Xueyan, Levin wrote many volumes of novels in Taiwan Province and many biographies about Hu Xueyan in Chinese mainland. However, in the novels written by February River and Xue, he did not follow Levin's path, and wrote Hu Xueyan as a "Shang Sheng", a legendary winner, nor did he write his business strategy like some biographies, but wrote how he managed his own destiny at the peak of the times. Taking his tragic fate as the main line, the novel describes the ruthlessness of feudal imperial power, the conflict between powerful officials inside and outside the court, and the bleak ending after Hu Xueyan's glory.
When talking about the difference between Hu Xueyan and historical novels and Levin, February River said: "Mr. Levin has the advantage of being rich in aristocratic atmosphere and writing calmly. His brushwork is very soft, and he has a feeling of stretching after reading it. Disadvantages: a little wordy. Tang's book writing is very rigorous, and his mastery of historical materials can be said to be very accurate. But the disadvantage is that the characterization is not good enough. For example, Zeng Guofan's grasp of characters is not very good. From a rigorous point of view, I am not as cool as Don Hao Ming and I am not as cool as Levin. But the plot and personalized language expression have my own uniqueness. "
Hu Xueyan was a legend in China in the late Qing Dynasty. The lecture room column talks about Hu Xueyan this time, not as a historical figure, because Hu Xueyan was robbed after his death, leaving little information. However, the legendary story about Hu Xueyan has been passed down from mouth to mouth among the people and spread widely.