In ancient feudal society, the status of merchants was very low, and the rulers implemented a series of policies of heavy agriculture and suppression of commerce, especially in the Qing Dynasty, when the royal power was highly concentrated, and most of the wealth and resources were controlled by the state. Although Hu Xueyan, the richest man in the late Qing Dynasty, came from the bottom, he became a famous red-top businessman through his own efforts.
Hu Xueyan realized very early that if he wants to get ahead through business, connections and resources are the most important, so he began to make contacts very early, because he tasted the cold and warmth of the world since he was a child, Hu Xueyan had a flexible mind, especially knew how to observe the color, so he went from a penniless young man to finally became the richest man with hands and eyes.
Because it is a successful counterattack from the bottom of society, Hu Xueyan's business road has been imitated by many people so far, although more than a hundred years have passed, but many of Hu Xueyan's business ideas are still outdated, but the reason why he embarked on the peak of his life is mainly because he met Zuo Zongtang, but unfortunately, in the end, He Xiao he also failed.
Hu Xueyan was a very intelligent and structured person, he knew that if he wanted to make a fortune, he had to do business with the imperial court, so he met Zuo Zongtang through the introduction of a friend and helped him deal with the problem of military expenses, and Hu Xueyan also started an arms business to ensure Zuo Zongtang's arms supply, so Zuo Zongtang's military merits were indispensable to Hu Xueyan's merits.
With Zuo Zongtang's step-by-step rise, Hu Xueyan's business is also getting bigger and bigger, backed by Zuo Zongtang's big tree, Hu Xueyan has a background and a good spring breeze, but the tree is a big move, li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang in the court do not deal with it, so Li Hongzhang wanted to overthrow Zuo Zongtang before designing to frame Hu Xueyan, he became a victim of political struggle.
Hu Xueyan, who has experienced great ups and downs, has long been indifferent to the success or failure of wealth, once the richest man in the Qing Dynasty, in his later years he did not even have the money to see a doctor and buy medicine, once a group of wives and concubines are now scattered, before his death, Hu Xueyan repeatedly warned future generations: Do not approach the white tiger! And Hu Xueyan's descendants also remembered his dying instructions, so what exactly is the White Tiger?
In fact, the white tiger in Hu Xueyan's mouth has two meanings, white refers to silver, and tiger is talking about political struggle, he is well aware of the horror of political struggle, so he warned future generations that they must not collude with officials and businessmen, so there are very few of Hu's descendants who are in business, let alone engaged in politics, all because of Hu Xueyan's dying admonition.