"Rich but three generations" everyone has heard it, it is a saying in china, which means that wealth is difficult to continue, it comes from Mencius: "Rich and noble, but three generations", do not underestimate the old ancestors summed up this sentence.
According to the data, the average life expectancy of family businesses in China is only 24 years, so far in 2014, less than 30% of family businesses can enter the second generation, less than 10% can enter the third generation, and only about 4% of them can enter the fourth generation. "Three generations of wealth" seems to have become a "magic spell".
But there is a family in Henan, China, which has been rich for 12 consecutive generations and has remained prosperous for more than 400 years.
The Kang family, as early as the Early Ming Dynasty Hongwu years (1368), the ancestors of the Kang family settled in Gong County (present-day Gongyi City, Henan Province) Kangdian Town Luohe riverside, in order to solve the problem of food and clothing, they opened a small restaurant, because of the integrity, good ingredients, small restaurant became a well-known shop, those passers-by came to his home to patronize, later known as "Kangjia shop".
At this time, the Kang family was not a rich and noble family, until the Kang Shaojing period, the 6th generation of the ancestors of the Kang family, Kang Shaojing loved to read from childhood, and later obtained a meritorious name, and with his efforts to become the ambassador of Dongchang Province in Shandong (now Liaocheng, Shandong). This was a fat man, and Kang Shaojing was in charge of local land and water transportation, salt industry, and taxation.
What was the status of salt in ancient times? It is not as simple as modern condiments, water can be beaten from the river, grain can be grown by itself, salt cannot be "self-reliant", inland areas are far from salt production areas, and salt can only be obtained through trade.
In the past, many countries even fought for salt, which now seems a bit ridiculous, but don't forget, isn't it the same in modern times to fight for oil? With salt, the ancients who did not have a refrigerator could make cured meat and salted fish, which could be stored for several months in case of emergency; with salt, the human body would become healthier, clear fire and detoxification, cool blood and nourish the kidneys, and food would be easier to digest. Throughout Chinese history, the salt trade and salt taxes were a great force in maintaining the dynasties of ancient China.
So the Kang family made a fortune on salt, time continued, until the Qing Dynasty, the Kang family monopolized the cloth market in Shaanxi, and also obtained 10 years of military orders, they did not stop, and went to participate in the shipbuilding industry, the people called them "millionaires", it can be seen that the Kang family has had business acumen for generations.
After several generations of continuous efforts, the small "Kangjiadian" in the Qing Dynasty became a huge manor covering an area of more than 240 acres and containing 19 parts, with 33 courtyards, 53 buildings, 73 hole caves and more than 1,300 houses. Later this estate was called "Kang Million Manor".
"Kang Million Manor" sounds a bit too local, this name is not the Kang family themselves to take, it is said that in the late Qing Dynasty in 1900, in order to avoid the Eight-Nation Alliance, Empress Dowager Cixi took the Guangxu Emperor everywhere to escape, very depressed, often hungry. When they passed by Gongyi Kang's house, Kang Hongyou, the grand treasurer of the Kang family, waved his hand and directly gave the Qing government 1 million taels of silver, which made Cixi very happy and said, "I didn't think about it, there are still millions of houses in this ravine!" He was given the title of "Kang Million".
After passing on ten to ten hundred, Kang Hongyou became Kang Million, then his family's manor was "Kang Million Manor", with the demise of the Qing Dynasty, Kang Million Manor was not spared, and it was defeated. In the following days, it underwent large and small transformations, and in 2005 it was awarded the National AAAA (4A Level) Scenic Spot, and interested friends can personally experience the momentum of million manors.
The Kang family has been rich for 12 consecutive generations from the 6th generation of Kang Shaojing to the 18th generation of Kang Tinglan, how did they do it? It turned out that the Kang family had strict family training.
The kang family's family training plaque for educating their children reads: "The upper remains in the heavens, worthy of the imperial court; the lower remains in the earth, worthy of the people and their descendants." This means that there must be room for everything, that those who are insatiable will be punished by God, and that future generations must abide by this family precept.
Don't underestimate this seemingly simple truth, many people in the world can't "leave room", people's hearts are not enough to swallow elephants, are there few examples of people dying because of greed and desire? The Kang family's family training is worth learning.