The late Spring and Autumn Period was a shining era in the ideological history of the Chinese nation, an era of freedom, human nature was public, and active ideological giants or political leaders such as Lao Tzu, Confucius, Sun Tzu, Guan Zi, and Qi Huan Gong were active.
Fan Li was also active in this period, and could be called a genius of the world, assisting King Goujian of Yue, completing the hegemony of "prospering Yue and destroying Wu", creating economic thought, and composing the glory of the Chinese nation's economy and culture.
So, how exactly did Fan Li do it?
Fan Li's life
Fan Li, the word Shaobo, self-named Tao Zhu Gong, alias Yi Zipi, was born in 536 B.C., died in 448 B.C., author of "Tao Zhu Gong Business Classic", "Lu's Materia Medica" and "Ji Ran Chapter", is an outstanding politician, military strategist, thinker, economist, industrialist.
Fan Li is a native of Chu Guowan in the Spring and Autumn Period, born poor and humble, but he did not complain about the heavens and give up on himself because of poverty and humility, but worked hard to learn, worshiped the authentic Lao Tzu's successor Ji Ran as a teacher, and learned the skills of the heavens and latitudes.
But the genius Fan Li has a unique and flamboyant personality, and he is unwilling to dance with the vulgar, and the wild celebrities are well known, so he has been unwilling.
In 506 BC, Wen Chong was appointed as the county magistrate of Wanyi in the state of Chu. With the advent of literature, Fan Li ushered in the luck of life.
Wen Chong was a wise and far-sighted politician, he did not listen to the rumors about Fan Li's madness, but thought that he was a virtuous man, only because he was maverick and wise, he was slandered as an arrogant man.
Wen Chong personally visited Fan Li, handed over Fan Li with courtesy, won Fan Li to treat him sincerely, and the two became confidants. According to historical records, the state of Chu flourished and declined after the queen of Chuzhuang, and the country began to decline.
In 506 B.C., the year when Fan Li and Wen Chong met and got acquainted, Wu Zixu instigated King Wu to send troops to attack Chu in order to avenge his father and brother, and then led troops with Sun Wu to attack the Chu capital Yingcheng.
When the country was in crisis, Fan Li and Wen Chong were concerned about the safety of the country and wanted to solve the crisis of the Chu country. The solution to the dilemma is to "dominate the Yue and suppress Wu", so they embarked on the road of saving Chu in a roundabout way, and Fan Li cooperated with the literary species to abandon Chu and enter the Yue.
Fan Li assisted King Goujian in Yue, and even accompanied Goujian into Wu as a slave for three years, working hard to help Goujian plan painstakingly for more than 20 years, and finally completed the hegemony of "Xingyue and destroying Wu", and achieved his political ambitions.
After breaking Wu, Gou Jian held a celebration banquet, and the "Song of Expression" played at the banquet appeared to praise Fan Li and the words of literature, and the ministers laughed and laughed, but Gou Jian was lonely and unhappy, and Fan Li immediately understood that his merit was high.
"Taiping Yulan: The Biography of Ji Ran" records Fan Li's teacher Ji Ran's advice to him many years ago: "Taste the south of Yue, Fan Li invited to see the king of Yue, Ji Ran said: 'The king of Yue is a bird beak, not to benefit from the same benefit. ’”
Fan Li knew that the king of Yue Goujian was a person, and immediately resigned from his position, and the "Book of Yue Jue" recorded: "Fan Zi has sued the king of Yue and is determined to enter the sea." ”
Subsequently, Fan Li retired and began to engage in the lowly business of the society at that time - business, and became a legend in the business world, and the economic thought he founded wrote the glory of the Chinese nation's economy and culture.
Fan Li's economic ethics
(1) Heavy agriculture does not suppress the end, the end of agriculture is profitable, and all things are equal
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the mainstream of social agricultural and commercial policies was to emphasize agriculture over the end, and Fan Li saw the potential of commercial activities to promote the prosperity of the country and the strength of the people. Therefore, although Fan Li attaches great importance to farming, he does not suppress the end, insists on making profits at the end of farming, and prospering in business.
Under the guidance of Fan Liding's idea of "making profits at the end of agriculture", and under the vigorous management of Wen Chong and others, the commerce of the Yue Kingdom has achieved tremendous development, "according to the records and statistics of the "Yue Jue Shu": textile industry, smelting and casting industry, shipbuilding industry, breeding industry, logging industry, and salt industry.
According to the Book of Yuejue, the commodities of the Yue country mainly include grain, ships, hemp, timber, kudzu products, etc., and the commodity economy of the Yue country has achieved large-scale operation.
In order to achieve "both agricultural and economic benefits" and achieve economic strength, Fan Li also formulated a policy of macroeconomic regulation and control of market prices. "Historical Records: The Biography of the Goods and Colonies" contains: "Fu Guang, twenty sick peasants, ninety sick ends.
If the disease is terminal, the wealth will not be produced, and the agricultural disease will not be cured. If the upper is not eighty, and the lower is not reduced by thirty, then the end of agriculture will be profitable, and there will be no shortage of customs and markets, and there will be no shortage of ways to govern the country. ”
The grain price of 20 will hurt the peasants' interests, the grain price of 90 will hurt the interests of the merchants, the peasants are unwilling to cultivate the land if the grain price is too low, and the grain price will dampen the enthusiasm of the businessmen to buy and sell grain, which is not conducive to the benign development of the social economy. The price of grain should be kept between 30 and 80 so that the end of the crop can be profitable.
Fan Li believes that grain prices should not be allowed to fluctuate arbitrarily, and that the government should carry out macroeconomic regulation and control to control grain prices within a reasonable range, so as to protect the peasants' enthusiasm for growing grain and the merchants' enthusiasm for circulating grain, and to invigorate Vietnam's market economy.
Fan Li did not approve of the government adopting a compulsory administrative order to limit prices, but used the economic means of leveling everything to indirectly regulate market supply and demand, so that grain prices would spontaneously float within a reasonable range. "Pingguang" means selling at a low price, and "Qiwu" means adjusting prices.
That is, when the market price of grain is too low, the government will buy grain at a price higher than the market; when the market price of grain is too high, the government will sell grain at a price lower than the market and "stabilize prices" by selling it at a higher price and buying it cheaper.
In addition, it can cultivate a market for commercial grains with smooth flow of goods, and the country can also make profits in economic activities. "Peaceful and Harmonious Things" has prospered Vietnam's economy and improved its comprehensive national strength.
"Historical Records: The Biography of the Goods and Colonies" cloud: "If you talk about its surplus and shortcomings, you will know the high and low." If you are expensive, you will be cheap, and if you are low, you will be expensive. It is as expensive as dung, and as cheap as a pearl. ”
Fan Li understands that the fluctuations of market prices are affected by supply and demand, and when the price is high, it is necessary to sell it immediately, as if it were discarding dung, and when the price is low, it is necessary to buy it immediately like picking up a pearl.
He was the first to understand the law of value, and put forward the theory that "the price of goods changes with the relationship between supply and demand." His economic idea of "emphasizing agriculture without suppressing the end, benefiting both the end of agriculture, and leveling all things" is beneficial to the country and the people, and this economic thought is advanced and surpasses the times.
(2) Pursue profits with the times
"Historical Records: The Biography of Cargo Colonies" cloud: "Drought is a boat, water is a car, and the reason of things is also." It means that when there is a drought, prepare a boat to prevent flooding, and prepare a car to prevent drought when it is flooding, and everything is like this.
Fan Li intends to ask people to predict price fluctuations in advance according to market conditions, and do a good job of "cheap in and expensive out" in time. "Historical Records: The Yue King Goujian Family" cloud: "The re-appointment should be made by the father and son to farm livestock, abandon the residence, wait for the time to turn things, and chase the benefits of tithes." ”
Fan Li predicts the market price through the change of supply and demand of goods in economic activities, and when the social demand for a certain goods is small, that is, buy and store at a low price, wait for the change in the relationship between supply and demand, and then sell at a high price when the social demand for the goods increases.
Fan Li saw the opportunity, people abandoned me, people took me away, resold and earned, and earned high profits.
(3) Choose the right place
The wise Fan Li integrated Lao Tzu's idea of "the unity of heaven and man" into business, and he paid great attention to the choice of natural, human and social environment in carrying out economic activities.
Fan Li said goodbye to Yue Wang Goujian and embarked on the road to making a fortune, and the first stop of entrepreneurship was Qidi, because Qi had a superior business environment.
Jiang Ziya, the prince of Qi, made miraculous achievements in the war of King Wu, and when the war ended, when the meritorious deeds were rewarded, King Wu of Zhou gave the state of Qi to the prince of Qi. Most of the land is not suitable for cultivation, and the road of enriching the people and strengthening the country with agriculture is impassable.
According to historical records, the Taigong of Qi once slaughtered cattle in the capital of the Shang Dynasty, sold drinks in Mengjin, and knew how commerce could enrich the people and strengthen the country. "Historical Records: The Family of Qi Taigong" records that Qi Taigong's "trade and industry will benefit from fish and salt", laying the foundation for the end of Qi's enrichment and rejuvenation.
Later, Guan Zhong, who helped Qi Huan to become the hegemon, cooperated with his friend Bao Shuya to do business in order to make a living because his family was poor when he was young, and in this process, Guan Zhong saw the benefits of the end of the industry for the rich people.
Guan Zhong believes that in order for a country to prosper, it must first enrich its people. So, how to enrich the people? Guan Zhongyun: "If you do everything you want, you will be rich." "When Guan Zhong governed the Qi State, he inherited the strategy of Qi Taigong to govern Qi, emphasizing agriculture and not suppressing the end, and insisting on benefiting both the end of agriculture.
"Historical Records: The Family of Taigong Qi" cloud: "Duke Huan has to manage Zhong...... Set up light and heavy fish and salt to support the poor. "Historical Records: Pingzhun Book" cloud: "Qi Huan's public management of the Zhong's strategy...... The industry of mountains and seas is to court the princes. ”
During the reign of the Governor of the People's Republic of China, economic policies were implemented in relation to fisheries, salt, and iron industry. Under the governance of Guan Zhong, the state of Qi was prosperous and dominated the Central Plains.
Not only that, Guan Zhong also introduced preferential policies for attracting investment, providing free accommodation, tax and tax incentives to businessmen who went to Qitong for trade.
Qi Taigong and Guan Zhong encouraged the coordinated development of the end of the agricultural industry, broke the ideological shackles of valuing agriculture and suppressing commerce, created the tradition of Qi to enrich the people and rejuvenate the country with commerce, and formed a strong industrial and commercial cultural atmosphere, and its industrial and commercial management system and industrial and commercial development ideas were the most perfect and mature among the princely states.
Fan Li is keenly aware that Qidi has a suitable socio-economic environment for economic activities. Therefore, Fan Li judged the situation and chose Qidi as the first stop of entrepreneurship.
Fan Li led his family and entourage to live on the seaside, painstakingly pioneered, planted hemp and silkworms, operated handicrafts such as cloth, silk, fish, salt, etc., and eventually managed tens of millions of family assets and achieved the first entrepreneurial success. When the Qi people heard it, they knew that he was a sage, and the monarch of Qi even worshiped Fan Li as a minister.
Three years later, Fan Li returned to Qi Xiangyin, scattered the huge assets created by several years of painstaking operation in Qidi, and left Qi Bentao. Fan Li chose Taodi for the second time because of the convenient transportation and the hub of the world's goods circulation.
"Historical Records: The Biography of the Goods Colony" recorded: "Zhu Gong thought that in the Tao world, the princes were connected in all directions, and the goods were traded. ”
Fan Li values that the pottery is located in the "middle of the world", which can pass through the vassal states of the world, and the pottery has a sufficient supply of goods, and is convenient for obtaining business information, and has the widest source of customers, which provides a very convenient "geographical advantage" for doing business.
Therefore, Fan Li chose to live in Taodi, led his family to start a business for the second time, and soon earned more wealth than in Qidi, and became the richest businessman again.
(4) Finished goods, interest-free coins
"Historical Records: The Biography of Goods and Colonies" cloud: "The principle of accumulation, the completion of things, interest-free coins." Trade in the face of things, don't keep the goods that are corrupt and eat, and don't dare to be expensive. ”
"The principle of accumulation" refers to the principle of engaging in economic activities, "finishing things" means that it is necessary to pay attention to the integrity of goods, and "interest-free currency" means not to overstock goods and funds.
Fan Li insisted that the storage of goods should ensure the quality of goods, accelerate the flow of goods and capital, and let the currency increase in rapid circulation.
"Don't dare to be expensive" means that you can't blindly wait for high prices, pursue high profits, as long as you seize the business opportunity, you should sell decisively, small profits but quick turnover, which can not only accelerate the turnover of goods, but also win customers and obtain wealth.
(5) Work hard and work hard
At the time of the supreme merit, Fan Li held the ambition of "not to go, but to become famous", and left by boat floating in the sea, asking about the five lakes. According to historical records, when Fan Li abandoned Yue, "it was a light jewel and jade".
Fan Li only carried the start-up capital to start a business again, and led his son and two or three retinues to enter the Qi country, and changed his name to Yizi Pi.
In the Qi State, Fan Li did not make friends with the powerful and relied on power to make a fortune, but settled on the seaside, lived near the sea, and started from scratch.
Fan Li put down his noble identity, and like ordinary people, he personally cultivated and cultivated the land by the sea, worked hard, worked hard, and finally succeeded.
Sima Qian recorded in the "Historical Records": "Father and son govern property, and there is no geometry, resulting in tens of millions of productions. Fan Li, the first person in China to abandon official officials and start business, has since started a successful business journey.
(6) Establish business with morality
Fan Li attaches great importance to "respecting the Tao and guiding virtue" in economic activities, and all economic activities are carried out with virtue. "Tao Zhu Gong's Rich Book of Self-Sincerity" contains Fan Li's words: "One of the goods is fine and coarse, tell the broker, and make it good to plant and sell." ”
Fan Li insists on ensuring the quality of the goods, and unreservedly informs the middlemen of the advantages and disadvantages of the goods, so that they can sell them at a reasonable price according to the actual quality of the goods. For the quality of the goods, we must not have any luck to conceal it, otherwise we will suffer in the end.
In order to ensure that farmers and businessmen can make a profit, Fan Li signed an insurance agreement with them, and when the agreed receipt time was reached, if the market price was higher than the price of the agreed agreement, it would be purchased at the market price.
If the market price at the agreed time of receipt is lower than the agreed price, the purchase is made at the agreed price. Fan Li follows the economic principles of "genuine" and "no dare to be expensive", which can not only make himself profitable, but also take into account social justice. His idea of integrity became a beautiful talk in the world at that time, and all businessmen in the world were unwilling to cooperate with Fan Li in business.
Fan Li had a shortage of funds when he started a business in Qidi, borrowed 100,000 money from others, and then the creditor came to collect the money as promised, unfortunately destroyed the IOU on the way, Fan Li paid off the principal and interest without an IOU.
Fan Li's "Xinyi" name is famous all over the world, so whenever there is a problem with capital turnover, someone takes the initiative to send money to help Fan Li tide over the difficulties.
(7) Helping the people through the world
Fan Li's ambition is not only to assist the king of Yue to dominate, but also to enrich all the people in the world. After Fan Li became the richest man in the world in business, he did not enjoy glory and wealth by himself, but to enrich his virtue and help the world and save the people.
According to historical records, Fan Li has a disciple named Yidun, who is a poor scholar in Lu State, whether it is farming or silkworms, he cannot guarantee food and clothing, and Yidun has been looking for a way to make a fortune.
Later, Yidun went to Tao Zhugong, who was rich in the world, to ask for advice on how to get rich, and Fan Li instructed Yidun according to the actual situation that Yidun had neither business experience nor capital: "If you want to get rich quickly, you should be a five-hundred-year-old." ”
Fan Li also taught Yidun the methods and experience of raising cattle and sheep and other livestock, Yidun listened to the teachings, worked hard, started from raising a small number of livestock, and quickly got rid of poverty and became rich.
Later, he was engaged in handicraft industries such as salt transportation and jewelry, and became rich in only ten years. When Fan Li arrived in Wuxi, in order to change the poverty situation here, he taught the local people how to raise fish and process bamboo.
In addition, he also built water conservancy and promoted agricultural development, so that it soon developed into a land of fish and rice, and the people lived a prosperous life. There are two folk songs in Wuxi: "Planting bamboo and raising fish is a thousand times more profitable, thanks to Xi Shi and Fan Li." ”
That is, it expresses the gratitude of the people of Wuxi to Fan Li for selflessly teaching the way to get rich. Whether it is the poor people or the princes and nobles, Fan Li responds to their needs and helps generously.
"Tao Zhu Gong Fish Farming" records that King Qi Wei once asked Fan Li to teach him the art of raising fish, and Fan Li passed it on, so Qi Jun "Houyuan Zhichi", and got more than 300,000 yuan a year.
Fan Li also unreservedly compiled the experience and methods of getting rich into "Tao Zhu Gong Business Classic" and other widely spread to the world, and truly realized the grand wish he made when he said goodbye to Goujian, the king of Yue: "Don't be greedy for the wealth of the world, but the world is rich." ”
Fan Li has worked hard in business, and in 19 years, he has been able to treat money as dung, and he has scattered his money three times to help the poor, and has become a moral model through the world.
Fan Li's wonderful interpretation of "is not a rich man's game of chasing money and 'losing more than enough', but the great feelings of helping the people through the world and 'losing more to make up for the shortcomings'".
epilogue
Shang was a lowly industry in society during the Spring and Autumn Period, but Taoists believed that "the noble is based on the cheap".
Under the careful teaching of Ji Ran, Fan Li adhered to the values of "the saint is not ashamed of his body, he is not good for the evil way, he is not worried about the shortness of his life, and he is worried about the poverty of the people", and proved his nobility in the humble business journey, and became a "business saint" who is admired by future generations.
Sima Qian said in "Historical Records: The Biography of the Goods and Colonies": "The world is bustling, all for profit, and the world is bustling, all for profit." In The Wealth of Nations, the Western economist Adam Smith expounded the principle of capitalist economic development, that is, the "principle of self-interest".
Whether in China or the West, the economic behavior of ordinary people is for profit, and Fan Li's economic activities go beyond the economic and ethical values of ordinary people.
Sima Qian commented on him: "Loyalty to the country, wisdom to protect oneself, business to get rich, and become famous all over the world." Fan Li's economic activities are based on the ethics of common prosperity in the world, and his economic ethics is "the outstanding contribution of Chinese to world economic ethics".
Even today, Fan Li's economic ethics are also very vigorous, flashing with the light of wisdom, "a kind of magic weapon for the benefit of the country and the people".