"Red Top Merchant" refers to the famous Huizhou merchant Hu in the late Qing Dynasty. Because Hu contributed to the governor of Shaanxi, Gansu and Shaanxi, the Qing court awarded the title of minister of state, wearing coral from second-class civil servants and wearing a yellow coat. Known as the "Red Top Merchant". Levin, a famous contemporary writer in Taiwan Province, wrote a long historical novel The Merchant with the Red Top, which described the rise and fall of Hu's life and made Hu's nickname a household name.
Hu, the word Xueyan, is from Huli Village, Jixi County. In his early years, his family was poor and he was an apprentice in Hangzhou Fukang Qianzhuang. Later, he opened his own bank and became the boss. Help Zuo and the French to form the "Chang Jie Army", set up Fuzhou Shipping Bureau, handle the collection and transportation affairs for Zuo, and borrow more than RMB12.5 million from domestic and foreign debts. Under the influence of Zuo, Hu opened pawn shops and banks all over the country and became a super official and businessman in Jiangnan area. He also founded "Huqingyutang National Medicine No.1" in Hangzhou, and spared no expense to hire famous doctors and famous pharmaceutical research experts in Jiangnan to carefully prepare more than 400 kinds of Chinese patent medicines. Make "Hu Qingyutang" like "Tong Ren Tang" in Beijing and become a famous old Chinese medicine shop at home and abroad. Later, Hu went bankrupt under the impact of foreign capital.
Hu Xueyan: the fate of a generation of strange businessmen
Hu Xueyan, a red-topped businessman, was a great spectacle in the late Qing Dynasty. In an era when there is no hero, when consumerism becomes the mainstream, when money is seized crazily, and when unscrupulous means are used to achieve the goal, Hu Xueyan has become an inexhaustible treasure.
Hu Xueyan's story is not a fictional novelist's story, but a fact. In the notes, diaries and letters of celebrities in the late Qing Dynasty, there are many records about Hu Xueyan, such as Zuo Fang Yang Shiquan's Diary of a Journey to the West, Fei Xingjian's Biography of Modern Celebrities, Liu Tiren's Selected Poems of Zhuang Harmony, Wang's Notes on Nanting and Chen Yunsheng's Cautiousness. Through Hu Xueyan, a typical figure, we can see through all aspects of late Qing society and look back at the strange present situation of contemporary society.
Hu Xueyan, a business genius in Qing Dynasty, a leader of officialdom and underworld, was a dark horse killed in the feudal society of China, which valued agriculture over commerce. After reading him, I admire his talent, marvel at his courage, despise his means and dislike his character. Hu Xueyan's rise began with his gratitude to Wang Youling. One of Chen Yunsheng's Shenjiezhaikou Village is Hu Yongguang, which records the contact between Hu Xueyan and Wang Youling. Wang's father died in Zhejiang, and his wife and children were stranded in Hangzhou because of his clean government. Hu Xueyan ran into Wang, and saw that he had an extraordinary talk, so he intended to make friends. Wang wanted to be an official in Beijing, but he didn't have any money, so Hu Xueyan took the risk of giving the king 500 gold that his friend kept in his own place. As a result, this investment has really received a return of ten million times-mountains turned into water, and Wang Youling rose from Liangtai to the magistrate of Hangzhou, and then to the governor of Zhejiang, becoming a government official. Hu Xueyan, like a morning glory climbing a tree, attached to and mastered the financial power, then got on the line with Zuo, became a businessman and an official, and became a veritable red-topped businessman. Zuo mentioned Hu Xueyan many times in his letter, saying that "Hu Xueyan is a strange man among merchants". "Although Hu Xueyan people are businessmen, they have Hao's generosity. Last time Zhejiang died, he risked his life to save him. " With this big tree on the left, Hu Xueyan sat firmly on the Diaoyutai and tried his best to collect money for himself.
The secret of Hu Xueyan's success lies in collusion between officials and businessmen. His dark side and feudal autocracy complement each other. He is very smooth in life. He never wears a top hat, always gives it away, never flatters, and always takes pictures. He is good at finding loopholes in the autocratic system and using them to make a fortune; He is good at discovering the weaknesses of large and small officials and attacking accurately. He used gold and silver to clear the way, get through all kinds of immortals, and then used public funds as private capital to open a bank, and financial resources rolled in. Liu Tiren's Different Dictionaries contains an article: "Hu Xueyan has frequent contacts with the national treasury": "Yong Guang opened a bank with official funds, and its subsidiaries are all over the country, which is famous at home and abroad. It's amazing that officials and businessmen send money. Bulk export of cocoon in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is dominated by foreign businessmen, unable to compete, monopolized by one person, fluctuating market value, which is beyond the control of foreign businessmen and dependent on farmers. The revenue and expenditure of the national treasury are always available, which is quite urgent. " It can be seen to what extent the financial chaos in the Qing Dynasty. Flies don't bite seamless eggs, and privileged economy will inevitably bring privileged businessmen. Hu Xueyan was not born in the right direction of the imperial examination system, but he was much better than many scholars. The rise of Hu Xueyan not only shows that the feudal small-scale peasant economy is disintegrating under the pressure of modernization, but also shows that social stratification is facing new adjustment. It also shows that China lacks a truly independent merchant class. Businessmen are just followers of bureaucrats, and their business activities must operate under an authoritarian system. There can be no fair competition in the modern sense, and there can be no real prosperity in business.
Hu Xueyan took an active part in the war to suppress the kingdom and the left war to recover Xinjiang. He played an important role in the military financial planning. Of course, he put his money into his pocket and made a fortune. "Ye Yixuan's Random Notes" says: "Hu Xueyan is watching the lights in Jixi, Jia Renzi. Zuo Wenxiang's contribution to the Western Expedition led to the loss of rations, which won him great strength. He was recommended by Zhuo after learning from others. Observing the heyday, financial management masterpieces are as rich as an enemy, with assets for half a day. The client borrowed millions of foreign debts. Westerners take their words seriously. " Throughout his life, he can be described as an official and an official. He made his fortune by Wang Youling. After Wang Youling died in the Kingdom of Tian Ping, Hu Xueyan became very close to Dexin, Zuo and other dignitaries, thus offending Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong and others, and involuntarily fell into the officialdom struggle. There are many reasons for his stepping down, such as profligacy and inability to see the international situation clearly, but the most important reason is that after losing his backstage, he became a victim of official positions. His success was not achieved through normal channels, nor could it be achieved through normal channels. His failure is not only the failure of his own enterprise. He's a freak. Hu Xueyan's property was acquired illegally-no wonder he lives in a society without "law". In this way, his property is naturally not protected by law.
On the surface, Hu Xueyan lived a natural and unrestrained life, but in fact he was extremely painful. Although ambitious, but the future is bleak, I have to indulge in debauchery.
There are countless materials about Hu Xueyan's debauchery in his notes. I understand why he did it. In an authoritarian country, he could not have the ideal of expanding reproduction of American Puritans. His ideal is to get rich. After making a fortune, he will buy 10,000 mu of fertile land, have hundreds of wives and concubines, live a sensual life and be addicted to money. Li's "Nan Ting Ji" said: "Every morning, I take a jade plate and hold a number of blue, yellow, red, white and black Chu gems, and watch them intently for a while. It is really an anecdote. ..... Hu has a concubine in Room 36. I know her name with a toothpick and smoke it every night. I got a concubine to sleep with. " Once, Hu Xueyan passed a clothing store, and a woman stood by the door, slim and staring at her. After the woman found out, she turned into the house and closed the door. Hu Xueyan bears a grudge, and people say that his father wants to be a concubine, but he refuses. Hu Xueyan raised the price to 7,000 yuan, and finally clinched the deal. So, choose a good day, feast guests and welcome women to your door. After drinking, they went into the bridal chamber and drank alone. When they were drunk, they let the woman lie naked on the bed, and the servant waited on her with a huge candle. Hu Xueyan looked back and forth and smiled: "You didn't let me see it the day before yesterday, so that's it today!" So he left the bridal chamber in a hurry and went to rest elsewhere. In the morning, someone told the woman, "Everything in the room is yours. Take these things home and marry others. I have no place for you here. " The woman came home with 20 thousand pieces of gold and became very rich. It can be seen from this short story that Hu Xueyan's heart is very empty, and he has everything he wants. Due to the shackles of the times, he can't achieve a real career, and wealth is just a dream. You must have a good time, have a good time.
Hu Xueyan lived in a time that was nearly a hundred years different from the democratic constitutionalism of Britain, France and the United States. Over the past century, Britain, France, the United States and other countries have put Locke's and Montesquieu's political philosophy of separation of powers and Adam Smith's economic principle of free market into practice, and constructed a set of unprecedented social forms in human history. As the main body of social progress, the status of businessmen is obviously prominent. Under the principles of democracy, constitutionalism and market, the state not only does not interfere in the economy, but protects businessmen, because businessmen are the source of tax revenue, and getting rich legally is something that people are proud of, even the greatest pride in their lives. Hu Xueyan was born untimely, untimely, and his talent was constantly distorted. He could have become a force for social progress, but he gradually went along with the feudal forces, associating with the most conservative, decadent and backward forces. Corruption in the officialdom in the late Qing Dynasty became more and more serious and completely out of control. In this social background, Hu Xueyan stood out from the market by bribing. His silver bullet knocked down many officials and accelerated the demise of an autocratic dynasty, but it was really a double-edged sword for the people. Due to the profligacy and bribery of him and the profiteers he represents, the wealth of the country has dried up and the broad masses of people are even poorer.
In the Diary of History, he lashed out at Hu Xueyan: "On the second day of December, Gede made it clear that when Hu Xueyan's generation borrowed foreign money, foreigners got 8% interest and reported 5% interest. A profiteer gains, but a sick man wins the country. Although they have no wealth, it is almost not a waste to commit the crime of traitors, but it is good to re-employ them! " Of course, the attack on Hu Xueyan was factional, involving enter the dragon between Zeng Guofan and Zuo, but Hu Xueyan itself was definitely unclean. In his eyes, there is no national concept and national interest. In his mind, personal interests are above everything else.
Hu Xueyan always does good deeds, which is the usual behavior of nouveau riche. He tried to buy people's hearts with small favors and at the same time make his ill-gotten gains more secure. Wang's Selected Works of Zhuang Harmony records: "When I learned that Xiangyin was in charge of the aftermath, I first set up a porridge factory, a refugee bureau, and a relic, and then set up a good hall, a school, and a medical bureau to restore the scenic temples. All the policies of dying for health and helping the poor are ready. The imperial army was under pressure, and all the provinces donated a lot of money. " Hu Xueyan accelerated his approach to officialdom, which not only multiplied his wealth, but also set the stage for his demise. No matter how much he pays, he can't get a real sense of security. On the contrary, more and more people are jealous of him and finally kill a bird with one shot.
Looking at Hu Xueyan a hundred years later, if we still talk about "learning from Hu Xueyan in business", it will be difficult for us to build a healthy business society. Hu Xueyan's words and deeds should not be the object of our study, but the object of our criticism. Hu Xueyan's criticism is a criticism of imperial regime, autocratic politics and bureaucratic economy. It was the dark society that made Hu Xueyan, not Hu Xueyan who made his society. Hu Xueyan himself is a tragic child in a tragic era. His intelligence and his influence on the rigid society deserve our affirmation, while his bad habits and despicable means must be spurned. Hu Xueyan was born in "the old empire, the hometown of barbarism", and he can only be born in "the old empire, the hometown of barbarism"