We often say that "three generations are not rich enough", satirizing those who rely on the inheritance laid by their fathers and have no ambition to do whatever they want. In fact, this sentence also has a deep historical origin, which is what Mencius, who was known as a saint in the Spring and Autumn Period, said: "Moral heirlooms, more than ten generations, cultivation and reading heirlooms are secondary, poetry and books are second, rich and noble, but three generations." "To warn some of the richest families."
But in Henan, there is a family, rich for 12 generations after 400 years of prosperity, it can be said that most of the royal family have prospered for a longer time, this family is the Heluo Kang family in Kangdian Town, Gongyi City, Henan Province, which is often said to be the Kang Million Family. The family began in the Ming Dynasty, but the real prosperity began with the sixth Emperor Kang Shaojing.
As the head of the family, Kang Shaojing not only controlled the business development of the family, but also held important official positions in the imperial court, serving as the ambassador of Liuzhou Yicheng and Dongchang Province. Although the rank of the eunuch was low, he could often receive guests from all over the world ten times, while the ambassador of Dongchang Province was responsible for official salt, taxation and other things. With connections and economic contacts, business is naturally easier to develop.
Kang Shaojing's next prosperity was in the fourteenth generation of the Kang Million Family, Kang Yingkui, who was born in the thirty-eighth year of Qianlong (1773), and twice hung the "Liangtian Qianqing" gold plaque when he was alive, and the nickname "Kang Million" has since spread in the mouths of the common people, and this person is an important figure in the Succession of the Kang Million Family.
During the Jiaqing period, the Qing government mobilized troops from all over the country to suppress these rebels, and the transportation of food and equipment supplies for the army was all shipped by Kang Yingkui's fleet.
The yellow land in Jingyang, Shaanxi Province, was very suitable for growing cotton, and he ate all the cloth markets on a long street in Jingyang at one time, and controlled half of China's cloth wholesale market. The Kang million family reached its peak during this period.
However, Kang Yingkui was a very kind and charitable person, in the twenty-sixth year of Daoguang (1845), there was a famine in Henan, and he went out to rescue the people from water and fire. At the same time, if there is any need for help outside the township, he will not hesitate to help.
On the year of his 75th birthday, the clan and the villagers came to wish him a happy birthday, and as soon as he was happy, he burned all the debts owed by the clan and the villagers in front of everyone. Kang Yingkui always reminds future generations not to forget to follow the 4 family precepts left by Kang Shaojing, and to lead by example.
These 4 family precepts are: "Leave a surplus, not exhaustive ingenuity to return the creation; leave a surplus, not exhaust the Lu to return to the imperial court; leave a surplus, not exhaust the wealth to return the people; leave a surplus, not exhaust the blessings to return the descendants." "The meaning is very simple, that is, don't think that you will take all the good things yourself, and leave room for more long-term." Whether it is in the shopping mall, the official field, and the family property, there needs to be room for manoeuvre, so that the inherent business can be maintained in the mall, the network can be opened up in the official field, and the family property can be passed down from generation to generation.
In this way, the Kang Million family, following these 4 family precepts, and following the trend of continuous development, and finally achieved business throughout the country. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Kang Million, along with Shen Wansan and Ruan Zilan, was known as the three "living gods of wealth" by the Chinese people. The Kang million family has also been passed down to the eighteenth generation, and has been rich for more than 400 years.