We read all the lead to present a different history.
As a famous "red-top merchant" in the Qing Dynasty, Hu Xueyan was called "Shang Sheng" by later generations of good deeds. This genius figure started from scratch, from a silver trumpet guy, developed into the richest man at that time, and then ascended to the sky one step at a time, becoming a "red top businessman" wearing a two-pint red top and a yellow coat. Later, Hu Xueyan was dismissed by the Qing court and raided his home, and finally depressed. Hu Xueyan's life is full of too many legends, and his business philosophy and the situation of his descendants have always been relished by future generations.
▲Portrait of Hu Xueyan
Speaking of which, At the peak of Hu Xueyan's economic empire, it almost extended the trade route to all parts of the country, and its wealth reached the point where it was rich and invincible. However, the red-top businessman who had reached the sky with his hands and eyes flourished politically, but his decay and disillusionment were also caused by politics. On the occasion of his death, Hu Xueyan solemnly warned his descendants: "Do not engage in business, do not get close to officials and eunuchs, and do not intermarry with the Li family", and has been chanting the silver of white flowers is the most terrible. It can be said that these three sentences are the lessons that Hu Xueyan exchanged for his life, and the people after Hu Shi also silently followed the last words of their ancestors. After his death, the second son, Hu Xuansan, sold Hu Qingyutang's shares to others and used the funds raised for his descendants to study abroad. Thanks to this, the descendants of the Hu clan have received a good education and achieved some achievements, but none of them have yet entered the business world or entered the political arena.
▲Hu Xueyan's former residence veranda
Zhao Yucheng, the old pharmacist of Hu Qingyutang, spent thirty years searching for the whereabouts of Hu Xueyan's direct descendants, and found that the descendants of the Hu family were now distributed in seven countries, including China, the United States, Australia, and Canada, and many of them were quite famous at that time and achieved commendable achievements. The descendants of the Hu clan who remained in China were actually no less impressive. Hu Xueyan's great-grandson Hu Yaguang and his great-grandson Yang Guangyu are all famous calligraphy and painting artists in China. Hu Xiaomei, the granddaughter of Hu Xueyan V, is a dedicated middle school teacher who was awarded the honorary title of "Shanghai's First Outstanding Teacher" personally issued by Shanghai Mayor Chen Yi.
▲Portrait of Mr. Hu Yaguang
For the ups and downs of the ancestors' lives, the descendants of the Hu clan also have their own views. In their view, the reason for the collapse of such a huge economic empire is by no means the reason for the ancestor Hu Xueyan alone. The national environment and the attitude of the Qing government at that time were the main reasons for Hu's ruin. In view of the qing government's internal and external difficulties, Hu Xueyan actually made a lot of efforts to fund the suppression of the Taiping Army, raise Zuo Zongtang's military funds to recover Xinjiang, and open the "Fuzhou Shipping Bureau". When Hu Xueyan fought with foreign businessmen, the Qing court never made a single effort, and after Hu Xueyan failed in the struggle with foreign businessmen, the Qing court fell into the well and directly raided the Hu family, hoping to extract the last value of the Hu family.
▲ Portrait of Hu Xueyan enshrined in Hu Qingyu Hall
For Hu Xueyan, businessmen can never do without officials if they want to become big, but the official field at the end of the Qing Dynasty is so dark, he has struggled all his life, thinking that he has achieved fame, but in the end it is "like a dream bubble". Under the pain of pain, Hu Xueyan was full of sadness and asked his descendants not to engage in business and enter the official arena, and he really saw through it. Therefore, he does not want his children and grandchildren to repeat their mistakes and live a plain life. However, for the descendants of the Hu family, the glory and loneliness of the ancestors is ultimately a topic that they cannot avoid. Although this is a smoke cloud of the past, the younger generations are still vigilant, often learning from it and always telling themselves. Because of this, the Hu family quickly regained its vitality and was still able to make achievements in various fields. Compared with other families, the Hu family is actually very good.
▲ Descendants of the Hu clan who incense the ancestral tablets
According to incomplete statistics, there are about 500 people in Hu Xueyan's direct descendants, a large number of talents and industry elites have emerged, and they are currently active in the fields of culture, teaching and scientific research, no matter which country they settle in, strictly abide by the ancestral precepts, and no one has entered the business and political circles. In a way, this may be a loss, after all, Hu Xueyan's precious business philosophy has not been passed down. But for the Hu family, this may be the best situation, the descendants in their respective fields of peace of mind, do not have to be as frightened as the ancestors. It's not a blessing.
Resources:
The Legend of Hu Xueyan