Top ten private entrepreneurs in old China

[Archives of Chinese businessmen]

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the policy of restraining commerce of the Chinese imperial court has slowed down. In the narrow space, private commerce has grown like weeds. For hundreds of years, these businessmen who are good at business have been expanding their industries and have won a living space for China's private enterprises by virtue of their wealth. As time passed, their figures gradually disappeared in the misty rain of history. However, their entrepreneurial stories, business strategies and ups and downs have been circulating in the market and become a vivid record in the history of Chinese business. Looking back at their receding figure and chewing on their memorable stories is also an experience for today's private entrepreneurs.

Growing up in the Westernization Movement

After the Second Opium War, the Westernization Movement rose. The Westernization Movement put forward the idea of "seeking wealth" and emphasized the establishment of modern private enterprises, which resulted in the birth of a number of commercial modern enterprises in China.

Sheng Xuanhuai: a prominent entrepreneur in the late Qing Dynasty

Sheng Xuanhuai (1844-1918), named Xingsun and Yuzhai, was born in Wujin, Jiangsu Province, a major figure of the Huai Westernization School, and a celebrity under Li Hongzhang. He made his fortune through the Westernization Movement and was the most capable entrepreneur in the late Qing Dynasty. He founded many modern civil industries and commercial enterprises in China.

By the end of the Qing Dynasty, he had mastered the power of shipping, railway, telegraph, iron smelting, mining, textile and finance in the country. Sheng's greatest contribution to the development of China's private economy was to introduce the concept of share capital into the operation of the steamboat investment promotion bureau, so that the commercial shares, which were different from the temple shares (the common fund-raising method in the society at that time), were actively traded, and promoted the formation and development of China's national capitalism.

2. Hu Xueyan: second-grade Hongding businessman

Hu Xueyan (1823-1885), Mingyong, Xueyan, a native of Jixi, Anhui Province, a great capitalist in the late Qing Dynasty, a famous "Red Top Merchant" in modern China, and Zuo Zongtang, a powerful figure of the Westernization Movement.

In 1866, Hu assisted Zuo Zongtang in establishing the Fuzhou Shipping Bureau, and also handled the procurement and transportation affairs for Zuo Zongtang, raised military pay and ordered arms, and borrowed more than 12.5 million liang of domestic and foreign debt. Relying on the power of the Hunan army, he set up Fukang bank in various provinces and Qingyu Tang pharmacy in Hangzhou, winning the reputation of "Tongrentang in the north and Qingyu Tang in the south". In its heyday, it had 10000 mu of land and more than 20 million liang of assets (silver), and its business fields were as wide as banking, banking, pawnshops, drug stores and silk industry.

3 Zhang Jian: from champion to industrialist

Zhang Jian, (1853-1926) Ji Zhi, Si An, born in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, was promoted by Zhang Zhidong of the Westernization Movement to set up enterprises such as Tongzhou Dasheng Cotton Mill, and became a famous "number one industrialist". In his life, he has founded more than 20 enterprises, including Dasheng Cotton Mill and Tonghai Reclamation and Animal Husbandry Company. Zhang claimed that the secret of his success was: "It is nothing more than always relying on the heart of success and always making the plan of defeat."

Family Enterprises and Modern Entrepreneurs

From the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the Republic of China, family enterprises accounted for a large proportion of private enterprises. Fame of family enterprises is always associated with famous family members.

4 Jane's brothers: founder of national tobacco industry

The Jane brothers are from Nanhai, Guangdong Province. Jane Zhaonan was born in 1870, and Jane Yujie was born in 1875. In 1905, Jane Brothers founded the "Nanyang Tobacco Company" in Hong Kong to produce two brands of cigarettes, "Double Happiness" and "Pegasus". This is the first machine-made cigarette factory exclusively established by Chinese national capitalists, named "Nanyang Tobacco Company". In 1909, Jane Brothers reorganized the company into "Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Company". Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Company attaches great importance to technology and product quality. Cigarettes have good taste and taste and are cheap; At the same time, he put forward the patriotic slogan "Chinese people please smoke Chinese cigarettes", which was accepted by the majority of overseas compatriots.

5 Rong Brothers: the forerunner of scale operation

The Rong brothers are from Rongcang, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. Rong Zongjing, also known as Zongjin, was born in 1873. Rong Desheng, also known as Zongquan, also known as Lenong, was born in 1875 and is the father of former Vice President Rong Yiren.

Rong brothers have successively established three enterprise systems and affiliated enterprises, namely Maoxin Flour Company, Fuxin Flour Company and Shenxin Textile Company, and become the largest enterprise group among China's national industrial enterprises. Rong Desheng believes that the most important thing to run an enterprise is "spirit". "It is not based on substantial capital, but on substantial spirit. Spirit is the foundation of business."

6. Huashi family: the richest man in Southwest likes to do good

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there was a Huashi family in Guizhou, which was famous for its rich money. It was called "Huawan" at that time. According to some statistics, the total amount of money invested by the Chinese family in running factories, donating silver for relief, donating money to help students, helping to feed, and being demanded and borrowed by the government and the army at that time exceeded 23 million liang, equivalent to more than 100 million yuan now, which can be called the richest national industrial and commercial person in Guizhou Province at that time. The development of Huajia enterprises is mainly based on the operation of Hualianhui, Huazhihong and Huawenqu's ancestors and grandchildren. Huajia started with the salt industry and accumulated millions of capital. At the time of the rise of the Westernization Movement, the Chinese family introduced large machines powered by steam to establish Wentong Bookstore (later became one of the seven major bookstores in the country), which is the symbol of modern industry in Guizhou.

In addition to the salt industry, Huajia has also opened a liquor store, establishing Kweichow Moutai as a world famous liquor.

"China's Morgan" and "China's Business Father"

The most prosperous city in old China was Shanghai, where modern private entrepreneurs were born. On Nanjing Road, Ma Yingbiao and Chen Guangfu became the king of money and department stores.

Chen Guangfu: The King of Money in Old China

Chen Guangfu (1881-1976), formerly known as Huide, was born in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in the first year of Xuantong in the Qing Dynasty (1909) with a bachelor's degree in business. After the 1911 Revolution, he became the general manager of the Bank of Jiangsu Province. It is known as "the most successful banker in old China" by later generations, and "China's Morgan" by foreigners.

In more than 20 years, Chen Guangfu developed a "small bank" with less than 100000 yuan in capital into the largest private bank in old China. This achievement is closely related to his introduction of management methods of modern banks in Europe and the United States. According to the service spirit of Bank of America, Chen put forward the slogans of "customers are always right" and "customers are parents of clothing and food", and paid attention to the service attitude of employees.

8 Ma Yingbiao: Pioneer of National Department Store Industry

Ma Yingbiao, born in 1864 in Xiangshan (now Zhongshan) County, Guangdong Province. In 1899, the first Chinese-funded department store in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Xianshi Company, was founded. It is one of the earliest joint-stock companies in China, and also the first modern department store founded by Chinese businessmen. Ma boldly introduced the selling method of foreign department stores with clear and real prices, and advocated the "no two price" system, which ran counter to the Chinese tradition of "asking for prices everywhere and paying back money on the spot", causing a huge response in the business community. Ma Yingbiao has changed China's traditional business habits, pioneered the trend, and opened a new page in China's department store industry: no price difference, first use of saleswomen. For this reason, Ma is known as the "father of business in Hong Kong" and even "father of business in China". [Zeng Dongmei]

Two Consequences of Civil and Commercial Sponsorship of the Imperial Court

In the Ming Dynasty, the first rich man Shen Wansan came out of Zhouzhuang. He was rich enough to help the emperor build half of the capital wall. Hundreds of years later, a "king of money", Wang Chi, was born in Shen Wansan's exile. The "king of money" also gave a lot of silver to the court and was also known as the "treasury".

Shen Wansan: the richest man in the Ming Dynasty

Shen Wansan, a famous rich man with the name Zhongrong, was born in Zhouzhuang, Jiangsu Province, and ranked third. The Wu people called Shen Wansan. Wansan is the nickname of the rich man. Shen was called the richest man in the Ming Dynasty. The most commonly used story to describe Shen Wansan's "wealth can rival the country" is to "build a city in half" with Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. When building the southern capital, Shen Wansan not only completed the project three days earlier than Zhu Yuanzhang, but also asked to reward the three armies. This arrogance caused Zhu Yuanzhang's jealousy, calling it "the people are rich and the country is the same." Zhu imposed heavy taxes on him, framed his conspiracy, exiled Shen to Yunnan, and confiscated his family property.

Wang Chi: "The Treasury of the Qing Dynasty"

Wang Chi (1836-1903), who was born in Hongxi, Mile County, Yunnan Province, with the name of Xingzhai, is known as the only person who has reached the highest level of business in Yunnan history. He successively established his own ticket bank (bank) in the years of Tongzhi and Guangxu: Tongqingfeng and Tianshunxiang. At that time, people said there was "Jinchangyuan" in the north and "Tianshunxiang" in the south. They believed that Wang Chi's bank could compete with Shanxi's bank. He supported Cixi when he fled to the west, advanced the military pay of the imperial court, and donated millions of taels of silver for disaster relief. Li Hongzhang called it "like the treasury of the Qing court". In order to reward Wang Chi for his righteous deeds, the Qing government has successively awarded him the title of the fourth grade Taoist priest, the second grade of honor and honor, the second grade of honor and honor, and the title of "three generations and one grade". Wang has become the only red-crowned merchant in China's feudal society. [Zeng Dongmei]

 旧中国十大民营企业家

【华商档案】

　　明清以降，中国朝廷的抑商政策有所放缓，就在尚嫌狭窄的空间里，民营商业就像野草一般生长起来。几百年间，这些善于经营的商人们不断拓展自己的实业，并凭借自己财富的力量为中国的民营企业争取到一片生存的空间。时光流逝，他们的身影亦渐渐消失于历史的烟雨之中。然而，他们的创业故事、营商谋略、浮沉轨迹，却一直流传于坊间，成为中国商业史上一段灵动的记录。回望他们渐行渐远的身影，咀嚼他们令人怀想的故事，对于今天的民营企业家而言，亦不失为一种温故知新的体验。

　　在洋务运动中成长

　　第二次鸦片战争后，洋务运动兴起。洋务派提出“求富”的主张，强调兴办近代民营企业，中国由此诞生了一批商办的近代企业。

　　1盛宣怀：显赫于晚清的企业家

　　盛宣怀（1844一1918），字杏荪，号愚斋，江苏武进人，淮系洋务派的主要人物，李鸿章手下的红人。他借洋务运动发家，是晚清最有能力的企业家，我国许多近代民用工业和商业企业，都是由他创办的。

  到清朝末年，他掌握了全国的航运、铁路、电报、冶铁、开矿、纺织和金融等大权，显赫一时，炙手可热。盛对中国民营经济发展最大的贡献是把股份资本的观念引进轮船招商局的运作中，使有别于庙产股份（当时社会普遍的集资方式）的商业股份，被活跃地交易起来，推动了中国民族资本主义的形成和发展。

　　2胡雪岩：二品红顶商人

　　胡雪岩（１８２３—１８８５），名镛，字雪岩，安徽积溪人，清末大资本家，近代全国闻名的“红顶商人”，依附洋务派实力人物左宗棠。

　　１８６６年胡协助左宗棠创办福州船政局，又为左宗棠办理采运事务，筹供军饷和订购军火，代借内外债1250余万两。他依仗湘军权势，在各省设立阜康银号，在杭州开设庆余堂药店，博得“北有同仁堂、南有庆余堂”的美誉。其鼎盛时期置田地万亩、拥资产两千余万两（白银），经营领域广达银号、钱庄、当铺、药号和丝业等行业。

　　3张謇：从状元到实业家

　　张謇，（1853—1926）字季直，号啬庵，江苏南通人，为洋务派张之洞提携，创办通州大生纱厂等企业，成为名噪一时的“状元实业家”。其一生先后创办了大生纱厂、通海垦牧公司20多个企业。张自称他的成功秘诀是：“无非是时时恃可成之心，时时作可败之计。”

　　家族企业与近代企业家

　　明清至民国，家族企业在民营企业中占了相当大的比重。家族企业的成名总是与家族著名成员联系在一起的。

　　4简氏兄弟：民族烟业创始人

　　简氏兄弟为广东南海人，简照南，1870年生，简玉阶，1875年生。１９０５年，简氏兄弟在香港创立“南洋烟草公司”，生产“双喜”、“飞马”两个牌号卷烟，这是由我国民族资本家独家兴办的第一家机制卷烟厂，取名“南洋烟草公司”，1909年，简氏兄弟将公司改组为“南洋兄弟烟草公司”。南洋兄弟烟草公司十分重视技术和产品质量，卷烟吸味和口感均好，价格便宜；同时提出了“中国人请吸中国烟”的爱国口号，为广大海外同胞所接受。

　　5荣氏兄弟：规模经营的先行者

　　荣氏兄弟为江苏无锡荣苍人。荣宗敬，又名宗锦，号锦园，1873年生。荣德生，又名宗铨，号乐农，1875年生，是前国家副主席荣毅仁的父亲。

　　荣氏兄弟先后创建了茂新面粉公司、福新面粉公司和申新纺织公司等三个企业系统及其附属企业，成为中国民族工业企业中规模最大的一个企业集团。荣德生认为经营企业最重要的是“精神”，“非恃有充实之资本，乃恃有充实之精神，精神为立业之本。”

　　6华氏家族：富甲西南喜行善

　　清末民初时期，贵州有个以钱多著称的华氏家族，时人称“华百万”。有人统计，华家投资办厂，捐银赈济，捐资助学，助饱以及被当时的政府和军队索要和借用的款项合计超过二三百万两，折合现在的人民币当在亿元以上，可称得上是当时贵州省最富有的民族工商业者。华家企业的发展主要是靠华联辉、华之鸿、华问渠祖孙三代的经营，华家以经营盐业起家，积累了上百万的资本。洋务运动兴起之时，华家引入以蒸气为动力的大型机器创办文通书局（后成为全国七大书局之一），这是近代工业在贵州的标志。

　　除盐业外，华家还开办酒房，树立了贵州茅台的世界名酒地位。

　“中国的摩根”与“中国商父”

　　旧中国最繁华的城市是上海，那里是近代民营企业家诞生的沃土。南京路上，马应彪与陈光甫成了钱王与百货王。

　　　7陈光甫：旧中国的钱王

　　陈光甫（1881-1976），原名辉德，字光甫，江苏镇江人。清宣统元年（1909年）毕业于美国宾夕法尼亚大学，获商学学士学位。辛亥革命后任江苏省银行总经理。被后人誉为“旧中国最成功的银行家”，被外国人称为“中国的摩根”。

　　陈光甫在20多年间，将资本不足10万元的“小小银行”，发展成为旧中国最大的私营银行，这个成就与他引进欧美近代银行的管理方法息息相关。陈根据美国银行的服务精神，提出“顾客永远是正确的”、“顾客是衣食父母”的口号，重视员工的服务态度。

　　8马应彪：民族百货业先驱

　　马应彪，1864年生，广东香山（今中山）县人。1899年，创办了香港第一家华资百货公司———香港先施公司，它是我国最早的股份有限公司之一，也是我国华商创办的第一家近代化百货公司。马大胆引进外国百货店明码实价的销售方法，倡导“不二价”制度，跟中国的“漫天要价，就地还钱”传统背道而驰，引起商界的巨大反响。马应彪改变了中国传统的商业习惯，开风气之先，揭开了中国百货业崭新的一页：不二价，首用女售货员。为此，马被称为“香港商父”乃至“中国商父”。[曾冬梅]

　　民商赞助朝廷的两种结局

　　明朝时，周庄出了个第一富人沈万三，此人富到要帮皇帝筑半边的都城城墙。几百年后，在沈万三的流放地诞生了一个“钱王”王炽，一样的富可敌国。“钱王”也给朝廷大把银子，还被誉为“国库”。

　　9沈万三：明朝第一富豪

　　沈万三，名富，字仲荣，江苏周庄人，排行第三，吴人呼为沈万三，万三是巨富的别号，沈被称为明朝的第一富人。形容沈万三“富可敌国”最常用的故事便是与明皇朱元璋“对半筑城”了。筑南京城时，沈万三不仅比朱元璋早三天完工，而且还要求犒赏三军，这种豪气引起了朱元璋的嫉妒，称之为“民富侔国，实是不祥。”朱对其课以重税，并诬其谋反，将沈流放云南，家产充公。

　　10王炽：“清廷之国库”

　　王炽(1836—1903)，字兴斋，云南弥勒县虹溪人，被称为“云南历史上经商达到最高境界”的唯一一人。他先后于同治、光绪年间创设了自己的票号（钱庄）：同庆丰、天顺祥。当时人们称北有“晋昌源”、南有“天顺祥”，认为王炽的钱庄足可与山西钱庄相抗衡。他资助过西逃时的慈禧，垫支过朝廷的军饷，还捐银数百万两赈灾，李鸿章称之为“犹如清廷之国库也”。为嘉奖王炽的义举，清廷先后赐他四品道员职衔，恩赏荣禄大夫二品顶戴，诰封“三代一品”封典，王成为中国封建社会惟一的一品红顶商人。[曾冬梅] 

(This article is an original article by Zhuge Changqing, and the pictures are selected from the Internet. Welcome to forward it, and please indicate the source for forwarding)

Introduction to Zhuge Changqing: Zhuge Changqing, the inheritor and promoter of traditional Chinese culture, is willing to "learn from sages, promote virtue, revitalize China and benefit the world" together with people with the same ideals in the world.

(Zhuge Changqing: zhuge8031@163.com ）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

Zhuge Changqing's Chinese Dream

Learn from sages and carry forward virtue

Revitalizing China for the benefit of the world

 （本文是诸葛长青原创文章，图片选自网络。欢迎转发，转发引用请注明出处）

诸葛长青简介：诸葛长青，中国国学传统文化传承弘扬者，愿与天下志同道合者一起“学习圣贤、弘扬善德、振兴中华、造福世界”。

（诸葛长青：zhuge8031@163.com）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

  诸葛长青中国梦  

学习圣贤 弘扬善德

振兴中华 造福世界

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