We read all the lead to present a different history.
Good afternoon, friends! Ziyuan has previously introduced to you the anecdotes of the rich merchant clan in the Qing Dynasty, which has aroused the strong interest of readers, and today we will talk about the "Kang Million" family, which is not as famous as the Shanxi Qiao family but has more abundant financial resources.
▲Henan Gongyikang Million Manor
Strictly speaking, "Kang Million" does not refer to a specific person, but to a family name, which is the Kang family located in the town of Kangdian in gongyi city, Henan Province. The most iconic building of the Kang family is the Kang Million Manor, this majestic family manor was built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, kang million manor as the most representative northern building in the Ming and Qing dynasties, is now a national key cultural relics protection unit, a national tourism 4A level scenic spot, but also one of the three major manors in the country (the other two are Liu Wencai Manor, Mou Erhei Manor). Because it covers an area of about 240 acres, with a total of more than 30 courtyards and more than 50 buildings in and out, it is very magnificent and spectacular, and its scale far exceeds that of the Qiao family compound and the Ma family manor, so it ranks first among the three official residences in the Central Plains.
▲Portrait of Kang Yingkui
Regarding the origin of the name "Kang Million", there are many folk sayings. There are two of the most widely circulated and convincing, the first of which suggests that the name originated from Kang Yingkui. Kang Yingkui was the fourteenth generation (i.e., patriarch) of the Gongyi Kang family, born in the 38th year of Qianlong (1773 AD) and died in the 30th year of Daoguang (1850 AD). Under his leadership, the Gongyi Kang family, which had begun to do business as early as the Ming Dynasty, gradually prospered. At that time, the Kang family had thousands of acres of fertile land in the Central Plains, a huge fleet in the Yellow River, and under the influence of Kang Yingkui, the Kang family monopolized the city of Shaanxi And also obtained a ten-year military contract from the Qing government.
▲The three living gods of wealth worshiped by the people (Kang Yingkui on the right)
When Kang Yingkui was alive, the Kang family twice hung the plaque of "Good Field Thousand Acres" given by the imperial court, which the local song called "the Kang family boat that travels in the river, the Kang family field planted on the shore, the Kang family horse running on the road, and the Kang family money borrowed from the stack." "Kang Yingkui is diligent and thrifty, charitable and charitable, not only actively helping disasters and helping the people, but also has an atmosphere that is unimaginable to ordinary people." At the 75th birthday banquet, Kang Yingkui publicly burned the debts of his clan and villagers, which caused a sensation in the Central Plains, and the people called him "Kang Million", and Kang Yingkui thus ranked with legendary rich merchants such as Shen Wansan of the Ming Dynasty and Ruan Zilan in the early Qing Dynasty, becoming the three living gods of wealth in the world.
▲ The dragon bed where Empress Dowager Cixi sat and the five dragon screens behind her
Another theory is that the nickname "Kang Million" is related to Empress Dowager Cixi. In the 26th year of Guangxu (1900 AD), the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, and Empress Dowager Cixi fled west with the Guangxu Emperor, known in history as "Gengzi Xi hunted". On the way to escape, Empress Dowager Cixi's life situation was quite miserable, and even when she arrived in Xi'an, the situation did not improve substantially. At that time, Kang Hongyou, the head of the Kang family, was a person who knew the times, and rushed to the Xi'an Palace to meet the driver, and also took the initiative to offer silver to Empress Dowager Cixi twice, each time as much as one million and two. Empress Dowager Cixi was very happy to receive filial piety, and the golden mouth imperial gift "Kang Million", and this imperial title was widely spread.
▲ Kang's ancestral motto "Stay Yu"
It is worth mentioning that while the Gongyi Kang family has been rich for more than 400 years, it can also achieve twelve consecutive generations of descendants to enter the dynasty as officials, which is really remarkable. Speaking of which, the "Kang Million" family can do this step, in fact, it also has its own secret of victory, and the ancestors of the generations have followed the ancestral teachings of "where there is room for everything, do not do everything", and there is often a certain way to retreat in doing business. However, under the torrent of historical changes, this huge family finally went into decline and decline - in the twenty-third year of the Republic of China (1934 AD), the Gongyi Kang family made a bad move, the operation of cotton failed, the hoarded cotton was burned by the war, the Kang family's assets were half gone, and the subsequent war made the Kang family completely decline and dissipate in the smoke of history.
Resources:
"Kang's Family Tree", "Gong County Chronicle"