Hu Xueyan: Honest "Red Top Businessman"
? Although Hu Xueyan's parents are poor, they are kind, honest, hardworking and tolerant. They gave Hu Xueyan a sound personality with the simplest education, which is also the most precious wealth in his life. Among the children, Hu Xueyan is the most obedient and clever, and his father likes to call him "Shunguan". When Hu Xueyan 12 years old, his father died of illness, and the burden of the family fell on his mother's shoulders. Filial Hu Xueyan also realized the hardships of life. However, God is fair. A year later, a seemingly accidental opportunity changed Hu Xueyan's fate.
One day, on the way home from herding cattle, Hu Xueyan picked up a blue cloth bag full of belongings. He didn't take the property for himself because of his poor family, but stayed where he was and waited for the owner to come back. After the owner got his property back, he wanted to reward him with a large sum of money, but Hu Xueyan refused. The shopkeeper is a businessman surnamed Jiang, so he offered to take him to the city as an apprentice. With the consent of his mother, Hu Xueyan went to Dafu Grain Store and became the apprentice of Boss Jiang. Because he is studious, thoughtful and enthusiastic, he has been appreciated by the shopkeeper of Jinhua Ham Shop and the boss of Fukang Bank.
? From Donglianghang to Ham Shop, and then to Qianzhuang, Hu Xueyan changed three better and better jobs in six years. What is commendable is that his job change is that bosses take the initiative to give up love, and its charm can be seen.
After Hu Xueyan arrived at Fukang Bank, due to his outstanding ability, he made an exception and "left the store" a few years later. The transferred "out of the store" can not only take over the business, but also spend money. Other guys in the bank are envious, and everyone guesses that Hu Xueyan will be promoted in the bank. But the fact happened to be unexpected. At the age of 26, Hu Xueyan was swept out of the house by Fukang Bank. The reason is that someone he met did something out of line.
This man is a down-and-out official's son named Wang Youling. Although he was down and out, he was highly respected by Hu Xueyan because of his lofty spirit and extraordinary speech. In an accidental contact, Hu Xueyan learned that he had donated salt to Zhejiang Ambassador in his early years, but he was stranded in Hangzhou because he had no money to go to Beijing for activities. Just then, Hu Xueyan recovered a sum of five hundred and twenty pieces of silver from the bank. Hu Xueyan lent money to Wang Youling without authorization,
Afterwards, he reported the matter to the bank boss. Due to Hu Xueyan's ultra vires handling of the money, the owner of the bank was furious and transferred him from the bank, and took this as an example to inform his peers.
I didn't know that Wang Youling liked his career and never forgot his old kindness.
He went back to Zhejiang to be an official and helped Hu Xueyan open his own bank. Later, after the Taiping Rebellion, Hu Xueyan was entrusted by Wang Youling with the responsibility of grain machinery and comprehensive transportation, and almost mastered the wartime finance and economics of more than half of Zhejiang, laying a good foundation for the future development of Hu Xueyan.
1862, Taiping Army invaded Hangzhou, and Wang Youling died calmly. Zuo Tang Zong succeeded the Governor of Zhejiang, led the army to recover lost territory, but suffered from food shortage. Hu Xueyan sent helpers in time to help Zuo raise 100 stone grain in three days, which solved the problem. He used his good relationship to hire foreign officers to train a well-equipped long street army for Zuo, and won the trust of Zuo from then on.
Since the Qing army recovered Zhejiang, Hu Xueyan's fame spread far and wide, and he was supported by the Left in politics. A large sum of money from the people and the army was deposited in his bank. He used this as capital to engage in trade activities and set up businesses in various towns, which made a lot of profits.
As a generation of super-rich, Hu Xueyan was made a senior official by the Qing government for his merits. Although he lived in vain, his reputation as a "red merchant" is well deserved. He set up porridge factories, good halls and righteous mats, restored famous temples and collected hundreds of thousands of violent skeletons in the war; The ox cart that was once terminated due to the war was restored, which facilitated the people; Persuade officials and gentry to donate money to solve the post-war financial crisis.
He made great contributions to the left westernization movement. ? Hu Xueyan founded Hu Qingyu Hall to help the world. Under his auspices, Hu Qingyutang introduced 14 Chinese patent medicines, and gave away free antipyretics, antiarrhythmic drugs and other Taiping drugs necessary for the people.
? 1866, Zuo moved from Fujian and Zhejiang to Shaanxi and Gansu, and was ordered to recover Xinjiang. Hu Xueyan borrowed money from foreigners for six times in his own name, raising salary for Zuo, and the accumulated loan amount was18.7 million taels of silver. It can be said that Hu Xueyan played an important role in Zuo's regaining Xinjiang from the Russians.
? Hu Xueyan is also very enthusiastic about charity, and has donated money and materials to flood and drought areas such as Zhili, Shaanxi, Henan and Shanxi for many times. By 1878, in addition to the medicinal materials donated to the Western Expedition Army, Hu Xueyan also donated an estimated 202,000 pieces of silver to various places.
? Hu Xueyan has always been indifferent to fame and fortune, and values honesty. After that, although the official career fell to the bottom because of the official struggle, he was able to calmly clean up the mess without losing his true colors, and used Hu Qingyutang's income to repay his debts on a monthly basis.
? Hu Xueyan relies on honesty, knows how to choose, and pays attention to "a gentleman loves money and takes it wisely". Later generations had an evaluation of him, which was passed down from mouth to mouth.
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