Hu Xueyan (1823-1885), whose real name was Hu Guangyong, was a famous red-roofed businessman and politician in modern China, as well as a representative of the Hui merchants. The following is Hu Xueyan's resume:
1. **Early Experience**:
- Born in Huli Village, Jixi County, Huizhou, Anhui Province, to a poor family, he made a living by helping people herd cattle at an early age.
- When she was 12 years old, her father died of illness, and after that, Hu Xueyan went out alone.
- At the age of 13, he moved to Hangzhou, Zhejiang, and worked as a boy in Hangzhou Miscellaneous Grain Store and Jinhua Ham Company, and later worked as an apprentice in "Xinhe Qianzhuang".
2. **Business Start**:
- At the age of 19, Hu Xueyan was accepted as an apprentice by the shopkeeper Yu of Hangzhou Fukang Qianzhuang, and after the death of the shopkeeper, he entrusted the Qianzhuang to Hu Xueyan, which became his first pot of gold in the business world.
3. **Combination of Politics and Business**:
- Hu Xueyan's commercial success, especially in assisting Zuo Zongtang in his reconquest of Xinjiang, earned him political appreciation, and was awarded an official position by the Qing government, where he wore a yellow coat and became a "red-capped merchant".
4. Business Expansion:
- Hu Xueyan relied on his business talent to set up the "Fukang" Qianzhuang branch across the country, and was known as the "Living God of Wealth".
- Founded the "Huqing Yutang" traditional Chinese medicine store in Hangzhou, which supplies pharmaceuticals to the military and civilians, and the pharmacy has been inherited to this day.
5. **Political Contributions**:
- During Zuo Zongtang's western expedition to quell the rebellion against Agubai, Hu Xueyan presided over the affairs of the Shanghai Mining and Transportation Bureau, borrowing as much as 11.95 million taels to raise funds for the western expedition and solve the problem of military pay and munitions.
6. **Later Life Encounter**:
- In 1883, Hu Xueyan's property was withdrawn and extorted by bureaucrats, which led to a failure in capital turnover and forced him to sell his assets at a low price.
- In the end, Hu Xueyan was dismissed from his post and his family property was confiscated, and he died of depression.
7. **Family & Descendants**:
- Hu Xueyan had three sons and five daughters, the eldest son died young, and the second son and the descendants of the third son were prosperous.
- There are more than 200 direct descendants of Hu Xueyan, most of whom are overseas, distributed in 7 countries, and almost do not do business.
8. **Character Evaluation**:
- Hu Xueyan conducts business with integrity and contributes to the country, and is regarded as a "business saint" by the business community.
Hu Xueyan's life is full of legends, and he was not only a great commercial success, but also a significant political influence, and was an important figure in modern Chinese history.
Hu Xueyan, as a famous red-roofed merchant and representative of Hui merchants in modern China, his official quality has reached the second grade. Specifically, Hu Xueyan was once awarded the title of Sanpinbu political envoy by the Qing government, and allowed him to wear the second poinsettia crown, so he was called the "red-capped merchant". This was a very high honor at the time, because the "yellow jacket" and "red top" were usually a reward from the Qing emperor to officials or important businessmen who had made special contributions, symbolizing extremely high social status and honor.
The reason why Hu Xueyan was able to obtain such a high official rank was partly because of his commercial success, and on the other hand, because he used his wealth to help Zuo Zongtang make a lot of contributions to the country. When Zuo Zongtang went west to quell the rebellion against Agubai, Hu Xueyan presided over the affairs of the Shanghai Mining and Transportation Bureau, raised a lot of funds for the western expedition, and solved the problem of military pay and munitions, so he was appreciated and rewarded by the Qing government.
However, Hu Xueyan suffered a serious setback in his later years, and his business empire failed for a variety of reasons, which eventually led to the seizure of his property, a large amount of debt, and the transformation from the richest man to the "first loser", and he died depressed in poverty and hatred. Nonetheless, Hu Xueyan's life and his business and political influence remain a non-negligible part of China's modern history.
Hu Xueyan's family situation is relatively complex, and his family members include his wife, children, and grandchildren. Here's an overview of his family's situation:
1. **Marriage and Spouse**: Hu Xueyan's first wife was Chen, but the historical records are not clear about his marital status. According to the record of "The Complete Biography of Hu Xueyan", Hu Xueyan has two wives.
2. **Children**: Hu Xueyan has three sons and five daughters. The eldest son, Hu Chusan, died early, the second son, Hu Mingsan, had two sons, and the third son, Hu Pinsan, had four sons. Hu Pinsan loves Danqing and is known as a playboy.
3. **Grandchildren**: Hu Caoqing is the eldest son of Hu Pinsan and the eldest grandson of Hu Xueyan. Hu Caoqing was intelligent, won the former Qing Dynasty, and studied in Japan, joining Sun Yat-sen's alliance.
4. **Descendants**: Hu Xueyan's fifth-generation grandson, Hu Xiaomei, has won the titles of "Shanghai's First Outstanding Teacher" and "Shanghai's First 38 Red Flag Bearer". There are more than 200 direct descendants of Hu Xueyan, most of whom are overseas, distributed in 7 countries, and hardly do business.
5. **Family motto and will**: Hu Xueyan left a will before his death, warning his children and grandchildren not to engage in business and politics, and stipulated that the descendants of the Hu family should not intermarry with the surname Li.
6. **Family Legacy**: Hu Xueyan's former residence in Hangzhou is a mansion rich in traditional Chinese architecture with Western architectural style. In addition, Hu Xueyan's family once had a dispute over family property, which led to tensions in the family relationship.
7. **Family Status**: Almost none of Hu Xueyan's descendants continued to engage in business or politics, and most chose to pursue careers in literature, teaching, or natural sciences.
8. **Family Influence**: Hu Xueyan's life has had a profound impact on the family, and his successes and failures have left important lessons for future generations. The family members' attitudes and career choices were largely influenced by Hu Xueyan's will.
In summary, Hu Xueyan's family situation shows the far-reaching business, political and cultural influence of his family, as well as his personal expectations for future generations and the way in which the family legacy is handled.