< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > introduction</h1>
In the period of ancient feudal society, almost all the celebrities in the Spring and Autumn Period were from aristocratic origins, and during the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the power of the Menmen clan was once able to influence the regime. However, with the rise of the imperial examination system, the door valve system gradually ushered in a decline and inevitable weakening. There is a saying in Mencius: "The gentleman's Zee, the fifth and the beheading." However, there are no absolutes in the world, and there are many families that have not only continued the glory of the family, but also continued the wealth.
Suzhou Beishi is such a family. This family has been passed down for 17 generations from the middle of the Ming Dynasty to the present. After being tested to establish a firm foothold, it has been involved in various fields such as business, politics, finance, culture, etc., and has experienced hundreds of years of changes, and this family has not only stood firm, but also emerged from generation to generation.
▲ I.M. Pei photo
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">01</h1>
But in fact, Pei's achievements in modern architecture are far more than that. Born in 1917, I.M. Pei has created countless works that have amazed the world: the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National Museum of Art, the Suzhou Museum, the Chinese Embassy in the United States, and so on.
Many people know that Pei was born in Suzhou Pei's family, but may not know that the Pei family has flourished for nearly 600 years. Pei's grandfather, Pei Zaian, was arguably one of the most famous financial tycoons of the time, helping to create China's first new type of travel agency.
▲Portrait of a medicine shop in the Ming Dynasty
Pei Runsheng and Pei Zaian are the 13th grandson of the Bei family. Unlike his brother, Pei Runsheng was known as the King of Pigments, who in 1917 spent 800,000 silver dollars to buy the Lion Forest from the National Government, and spent a huge amount of money and up to 7 years to rest and rebuild it.
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The Pei family is full of talents, whether it is in business, politics or reading and learning, it can be said that it is a leader, which is inseparable from the concept of family education of the Bei family. The Pei family is extremely upright and attaches great importance to the education of future generations, and the Song Dynasty poet Su Shi wrote in "Farewell to Dong Chuan": "There is poetry and bookishness in the belly. "Although the Pei family is prosperous in business, they attach great importance to the academic education of their children and grandchildren, and the words and deeds of all aspects of dealing with people, which is also the fundamental reason why the Bei family can be passed down for hundreds of years without decay."
▲ Pei's family portrait (the first left is I.M. Pei)
Pei Runsheng and Pei Zaian once funded the opening of China's first new kindergarten in Suzhou, and also donated money and materials to many educational undertakings, in addition to their own children, they are also very concerned about the children of poor families to study. Pei's intermarriage partners also often choose some family women with deep cultural heritage, and Pei's mother Zhuang Shi is the daughter of the Qing Dynasty Guozi Jianjiu, who is not only knowledgeable and literate. After Zhuang's death, Pei's father remarried Jiang Shiyun, who was not only one of the "Four Beauties of Beijing", but also excelled in his talents.
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And Lu Shuhua also attaches great importance to the education of his children and spends a lot of effort to cultivate future generations.
▲ I.M. Pei and his wife, Shuhua Lu
Pei has three sons and a daughter. All three sons graduated from Harvard University, except for the eldest son who died of illness, the other two sons, Pei Jianzhong and Bei Lizhong, entered the construction industry like their father and became excellent architects. Daughter Bellen studied law at Columbia University and became a leader in the industry after graduation.
Pei's daughter, Olivia Pei, graduated from Harvard University with a degree in sociology, and after graduation, she joined Cisco, Visa, and now works as a strategic planning group manager at Lime. Bayley's daughter Anna Pei was born in 1997 and is now studying art history at Columbia University.
Anna Pei with her father Pei Lizhong and grandfather I.M. Pei
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > concluding remarks</h1>
If a family wants to pass it on, it is obviously not enough to rely on the support of money. If you can't form a positive family culture, you will definitely be "rich for three generations". Because the wealth of this famous and prestigious family is not only rich in money, in fact, the family property of many rich people is enough to feed three generations, and the standard of living is still beyond the reach of ordinary people. However, once the positive family spirit is lost, it will soon decline.
Resources:
Mencius
"Farewell to Dong Chuan"