introduction
Shanghai during the Republic of China period was a paradise for adventurers, with wind, flowers, snow, moons, ten miles of ocean fields, and more wind and clouds, heroic songs. As a footnote of the times, the gang-form organization of the Green Gang has become a force to be reckoned with in Shanghai beach for a long time.
As a member of the Green Gang, Du Yuesheng's name can be described as well-known. This legendary historical figure has had ups and downs in his life, and he has only spent more than a decade from an apprentice in a fruit shop to a figure who cannot be ignored on the Beach of Shanghai, where he became the leader of the Green Gang and the intricate influence of all parties. You know, behind these achievements, Du Yuesheng has not received any education, and at most he is only semi-illiterate.
Being able to achieve such achievements is undoubtedly closely related to Du Yuesheng's grasp of contacts and timing, and this ability to deal with the world is also reflected in Du Yuesheng's attitude towards the handling of IOUs at the time of his death.
At that time, Du Yuesheng's family lived in Hong Kong, and their lives had long since ceased to be the glory of the past. However, after many years, Du Yuesheng still accumulated a box of IOUs, and for the family, these IOU in black and white will undoubtedly be a huge wealth if they want to return.
However, in the face of the family's "eagerness", Du Yuesheng chose to burn all the IOUs in this box. The family members were naturally reluctant and even reproachful, but Du Yuesheng said meaningfully that this was saving your life.
Why?
A generation of legends, from the end of the micro
In 1888, Du Yuesheng was born in Chuansha, Jiangsu Province, which is today Pudong, Shanghai. At that time, China was constantly in turmoil, the country was weak and the people were poor, and the Du Yuesheng family was no exception. What is even more tragic is that his mother and father died before he was four years old, and he had no choice but to live with his stepmother and uncle.
The hardships of life can be imagined. At the age of 14, he became an apprentice in a fruit shop, but was fired shortly after. In order to make a living, he had to move to another family to work as a clerk, and also chose to join the Green Gang. With Chen Shichang's connections and his own cleverness, he soon gained the trust of Jin Rong, the leader of the French Concession at that time and the boss of the Qing Gang.
With the illumination of Jin Rong, coupled with Du Yuesheng's speculative drill camp, he soon gained a foothold in the Qinggang and Shanghai Beach.
By 1925, he had become one of the three tycoons of Shanghai Beach, along with Jin Rong and Zhang Xiaolin. At the same time, the establishment of Sanxin Company also controlled the opium trade in the French Concession, allowing him to earn a lot of wealth.
But unlike some businessmen and gang members, although Du Yuesheng has not read many books, his vision is extremely high. He is also involved in business, actively making friends with celebrities and local leaders, from warlords and politicians to high-ranking officials and even the old and young. Kong Xiangxi, Song Ziwen, Dai Kasa, Zhang Taiyan and others are his close friends.
It can be said that on the shanghai beach at that time, Du Yuesheng was a leader in calling the wind and rain.
However, behind this call for wind and rain, Du Yuesheng also has the positive and negative sides of historical figures. On the front, Du Yuesheng's national righteousness is respectable. At that time, China's national strength was in decline, and some Japanese companies regarded Chinese workers as grass and mustard. In 1925, the Japanese shot and killed striking workers who were dissatisfied with child labor abuse.
However, at that time, the national strength was weakened, and the incident was also forced by the Japanese side to get no complaint, and when the strikers found Du Yuesheng, he did not shirk, but responded positively.
When the War of Resistance Against Japan broke out, Du Yuesheng did not follow Zhang Xiaolin, but chose to actively support the War of Resistance, constantly rescue the victims, and donate money and materials.
And in "evil", he also has an indelible evil. At the right time, in the April 12 incident, it was with du Yuesheng's "help" that Wang Shouhua was killed and thousands of workers died.
Moved to Hong Kong
It was precisely this kind of evil deed that made him, on the eve of the Battle of the Crossing River, when he saw that the general trend of the Kuomintang had gone, he finally chose to take his family to Hong Kong after thinking about it for a long time.
At that time, Hong Kong belonged to the British, and it was natural for Du Yuesheng's family to save their lives, but it was obviously more difficult to inherit the scenery of the previous day.
Although Du Yuesheng has served as a director of the Qingshan Hotel and even married his fifth aunt Meng Xiaodong in 1950, the "Winter Emperor of Peking Opera", his influence has gone back.
The habit of spending money developed under the identity of the leader of the Shanghai Beach Green Gang for many years has made this large family that lacks input begin to be stretched.
In 1951, at the age of 63, Du Yuesheng fell terminally ill. As the head of the family, he began to dispose of the estate, but his savings were less than $110,000. Each wife can only get $10,000, and the daughter is only a pitiful $4,000. This is undoubtedly different from the wealth when he was on the beach.
Of course, Du Yuesheng is not only the 110,000 US dollars, he also has a box of IOUs. These IOUs are naturally lent by him when he goes to the beach, and for these IOUs, the family naturally hopes to be able to calculate clearly, and then to return the loan, so that there is no worries in life.
However, in the face of his family's hopes, Du Yuesheng chose to sternly refuse, saying: This is saving your lives; then, Du Yuesheng personally burned this box of IOUs.
Burn the IOUs and show great wisdom
Why burn the IOU? After all, "debt repayment is a matter of course" This is also the traditional view. However, Du Yuesheng said to his family: Great grace is like great vengeance, you must remember this truth.
In fact, as a figure who grew up to be a gangster from a poor background, Du Yuesheng's words can be described as the most reasonable and famous words. What is revealed here is a profound analysis of human nature. On the one hand, today's Du family is no longer what it used to be, and if you ask for debts again, I am afraid that it will lead to the disaster of killing yourself; on the other hand, burning the IOU can allow those who have received its favor before to have no worries and help the Du family when they are in danger.
On August 16, 1951, Du Yuesheng died of illness. After his death, with the help of his friends Gu Jiatang and Lu Jingshi, Du Yuesheng's body was buried in Taipei.
brief summary
As a legendary figure, the evaluation of Du Yuesheng has always been controversial. But whether it is praise or disparagement, we can glimpse his grasp of connections, timing, and people's hearts from his life, and this is also very worth learning.