Before Hu Xueyan died, he should warn his descendants: Do not approach the white tiger, what is the "white tiger"?
We all know that since ancient times, there have been some examples of nouns replacing people or things. An example is the "Zhongshu Province" of the three provinces, which is commonly known as "Fengge". Among cats, tigers are the most representative. Since there were many Siberian and South China tigers in ancient China, they often appeared in ancient literary works.
When it comes to the "white tiger", most people think of this animal. We all know that in China, the word "white tiger" is also used to refer to many things. The most typical example is one of the four elephants of the Seven Star Kings of the West in Taoism, and the so-called "Left Green Dragon, Right White Tiger" comes from here. But in addition to these famous references, the "White Tiger" has also been specifically mentioned by some individuals, such as Hu Xueyan, a famous red-topped merchant in the late Qing Dynasty. Before dying, he warned his descendants not to approach the white tiger. What does he mean by "white tiger"?
Hu Xueyan came from a poor background, which made his life even more legendary. When he was a child, Hu Xueyan and his father depended on each other for their lives, so that they could have food to eat, and they would not starve to death. He helped herd cattle at a very young age. Even though his family was already very poor, fate was still playing tricks on him. When he was 12 years old, his father died. In order to survive, Hu Xueyan had to go out alone to earn money. He did a lot of chores, apprentices, restaurant guys, etc. It was not until the age of 19 that Hu Xueyan's life ushered in the first turning point. The manager of Beverly Wilshire not only took him as an apprentice, but also regarded him as his own son. Hu Xueyan also won his first pot of gold here.
After years of ups and downs, Hu Xueyan met Zuo Zongtang, who can be said to be a noble person in his life. Zuo Zongtang, who was then the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, appointed Hu Xueyan as the director general to raise funds, prepare grain, and prepare military salaries for the whole province of Zhejiang, and from then on embarked on the road of politics and commerce. But what really made Zuo Hu and Zuo Hu famous was Zuo Zongtang. Because Li Hongzhang advocated coastal defense, Zuo Zongtang did not have enough military pay to retake Xinjiang, so Hu Xueyan helped Zuo Zongtang borrow money from foreign banks, which also solved Zuo Zongtang's troubles. Zuo Zongtang made half of his contribution to Hu Xueyan's restoration of Xinjiang. In the long-term cooperation with Zuo Zongtang, Hu Xueyan's business is getting bigger and bigger.
Li Hongzhang saw Hu Xueyan's ability. He hoped that Hu Xueyan would contribute to his efforts and help him handle foreign affairs. However, Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang disagreed, and Hu Xueyan did not dare to offend either side. In the end, Hu Xueyan chose to offend Li Hongzhang for the sake of the old leader. In order to attack Hu Xueyan, Li Hongzhang instructed Sheng Xuanhuai to attack Hu Xueyan. In 1882, Hu Xueyan spent 22 million yuan in silver to try to monopolize China's cocoon trade. Hu Xueyan's move caused a boycott from the first Chinese and foreign businessmen in modern times. But in the end, he lost it and eventually lost his family. Finally, before his death, he warned his descendants that they must "not approach the white tiger." Maybe it means silver.