Learn from Huang Yi live, maybe the next world's richest man is you!

The memory of the beautifully constructed Qunxian Building at Xiamen University or the Huang Family Garden on Gulangyu Island, which is known as "the first villa of the Republic of China", has given me a lingering impression of the name Huang Yishu. When it comes to China's richest man, we naturally think of Jack Ma, but this Mr. Huang Yishu at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the wealth at that time exceeded the sum of the present-day Jack Ma and Wang Jianlin's wealth, the history of China's richest man, what kind of a legendary life? 01 December 7, 1868, Huang Yishu was born in Nan'an County, Fujian Province (now part of Quanzhou City) Jintao District, downstairs in the village of stalagmites, a poor peasant family, at that time, people may never have thought that in the backwardness of this unheard of small mountain villages have come out of a great wealth. At the end of the stormy Qing Dynasty, the people had nothing to eat, the medical standard was low, and the infant mortality rate was high. Huang Yishu's parents were eager to keep the boy, so they named him "住" and nicknamed him "阿住". When Ah Sum was young, although his family was poor, his parents sent him to private school. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long, and the family was so poor that they had to drop out of school and return home to assist their parents in farming. When he was 12 years old, Huang Yishu began to follow his uncle to learn the art of hairdressing, 3 years after the full division, he picked his own hairdressing stretcher, walking the streets and alleys, for people to cut hair. In southern Fujian, although the Huang family name is a big family name, but their house is a weak house, coupled with the shaving industry belongs to the lowly industry, Huang Yisumi from a young age has been subjected to a lot of bullying and cold eyes, to see the world of warmth and coldness. Although young, but not resting on his laurels, Huang Yishu in the haircutting from other people's words that, in the South Seas, employment and wealth opportunities, so he decided to venture into the South Seas, this year, he was only 16 years old. Most of the Fujian people fled from the Central Plains, the bones flowing from the ancestors of the wandering, dare to break into the character, this character in the Huang Yizumi body even more strongly. The rough sea is not known how many drifters buried at the bottom of the sea, I do not know how many people can not withstand the long distance bumps on the way to die of illness. Although the road ahead is dangerous and unpredictable, but the teenager Huang Yizumi or with his parents sold their ancestral property from the 36 silver yuan resolutely to go, after a lot of hard work finally reached the South Seas. Flowering teenagers, should enjoy a lifetime of beautiful years, but the teenager Huang Yizumi at this time is undergoing a life of great trials and tribulations. 02 Huang Yishu was the first to arrive in Singapore and became known locally as "Shaved Head". Soon after, he wandered to Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia, and finally moved to Sembawang, Central Java. At the beginning of his arrival in Sembawang, Huang Yisumi was unfamiliar with the area, coupled with the language barrier, life was extremely difficult, often half-starved, half-full, with no fixed abode, and at night he had to sleep in a Mazu temple. As the saying goes, "Since you have survived, you can't live in vain", the trials and tribulations of life made this young man more and more resolute and courageous, he was hardworking and studious, and soon learned the local language and familiarized himself with the local customs, as well as getting to know his friends in general. After several years of hard work, hard work and thrift, finally have a little savings, a few years of hard work also let him y realize that by shaving is never rich. After careful consideration, he made a major decision to change his profession to business, as a shoulder hawker. He threw his barber's tools into the sea and made a break for it, ready to start again. His decision was supported by the sympathy and financial support of an old local overseas Chinese, Wei Jiasou, who lent him the initial capital to start what the locals called a "ghost walker" business. Since then, every day before dawn to get up, shoulder a variety of daily groceries and specialty foods, etc., walking the streets, over the mountains in the corner of the city of Sanbao ridge, wind and sun, hard work needless to say. Because of his contact with the townspeople and overseas Chinese are very poor, he often take a small profit, bartering, selling on behalf of the way, and gradually gained the goodwill of everyone. Soon, Huang Yisu in Sanbao ridge city near the Citibank rented a fixed stall to sell coffee, and continue to operate daily groceries and souvenirs. At this time, Huang Yishu met a local girl named Cai Rein, and married her, from then on the two get up early in the morning and work hard, the business is getting bigger and bigger. Later, Huang Yishu expanded the stall into a formal store and named it "Rixing" grocery store. As the business continued to grow, Huang Yisumi also bought a horse-drawn carriage and often drove it around the nearby villages and towns to buy cheap souvenirs and sell goods. The hard-working and businesslike qualities of Quanzhou people were fully demonstrated in Huang Yisu. 03 At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the sugarcane plantation and sugar industry in Central Java further developed, and Central Java became one of the world's major centers for sugar production and sales. Quite a business vision of Huang Yijiu insight into the development prospects of the sugar industry, in 1895 decisively changed the business to the sugar industry as the main business, the year Huang Yijiu 27 years old, from the young Huang Yijiu in Indonesia, and step by step to establish their own business empire. From 1895 to the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the price of sugar in Java is relatively stable, maintained at 100 kilograms of selling price of 10 rupiah to 12 rupiah or so, Huang Yijiu at a lower price to the small and medium-sized sugar producers to buy, to the Sampo ridge city transit, and then sold to Singapore and Europe and the United States and the United States, and obtain considerable profits. Later, in order to meet the expanding demand, Wong Yick Sum set up "Rising Bank" and set up branches in many places. World War I was fought, although Java is far from the war zone, the interference is not very big, but due to the war and transportation and other relations of the impact of the war, many sugar traders worried about the impact of the European war on the output, hesitant to wait and see. And Huang Yi live but the opposite way, with great courage and decisive action, to only 12.1 rupiah per 100 kilograms of low prices to buy a large number of sugar. Due to the impact of the war, the price of sugar in Europe continued to rise, and during the three years from 1915 to 1917, "Nissin Hong" made a considerable profit. After the end of World War I, the European region due to the destruction of the war, food and sugar in short supply, coupled with the resumption of shipping in Western Europe, sugar prices began to rise sharply across Europe. 1919 sugar prices per 100 kilograms rose rapidly to 28.4 rupiah, 1920 even soared to an unprecedented level of 53.45 rupiah. Huang Yijiu's "Rixing Hong" stock of sugar not only sold out, and he keenly seized this great opportunity, a large number of purchases and large quantities of exports, obtaining unprecedented profits. His assets exceeded 30 million rupiah and he became one of the four most famous sugar merchants in Java. The former "Shaving Head Dweller" has long since disappeared, replaced by the reigning Indonesian "King of Sugar". 04 Dutch colonial *** In order to make up for the shortfall of the First World War, after the war, intensified the exploitation of the Indonesian people and Chinese merchants, formulated the so-called "wartime income tax regulations", stipulated that anyone who made a profit of more than 3,000 rupiahs from 1914 onwards had to pay 30% of the "war tax ". Another Chinese sugar king in Indonesia at that time, Wong Chung Han, was forced to demand payment of 35 million rupiahs of ""war tax"". Wong Chung Han later took refuge in Singapore and eventually died away from home. Huang Yijiu was also asked to pay 15 million rupiahs of "war tax", which accounted for 42% of Huang Yijiu's total assets. Although these Chinese businessmen paid the tax on time, it was evident that the colonial *** was insatiable and had an ugly face. At that time, the colonial *** stipulated that all Dutch nationals were entitled to tax reduction. Therefore, the local *** officials tried their best to mobilize Huang Yisu to join the Dutch nationality so as to reduce the tax. The Japanese consul in Sanbao ridge city also tried to get him to join the Japanese nationality, but Huang Yisu flatly refused. From then on, he realized that China *** was weak and incapable of protecting the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese businessmen, and resolved to "return to his country after his career was completed" to serve his motherland. At that time, a friend of his advised him to go back to China, saying, "It is better to be happy here than in the Central Plains. If you are ambitious in your ambition, where is not a happy place, and you are planning for the end of your life, isn't it a good thing?" But he was still determined to return to China. In April 1919, Huang Yishu quietly its accumulated funds of about 20 million U.S. dollars remitted back to the motherland, at the end of April, dusty back to Xiamen, back to the motherland after 35 years of absence, when 51 years old, it really is "little away from home, the oldest back", after more than 30 years, the motherland is still full of holes, a hundred years of neglect. Huang Yi live in consideration of Xiamen is close to Nan'an, and Xiamen has a certain economic base to facilitate the development of the cause, it will be in Xiamen Gulangyu Island Concession area to settle down. 05 has nearly half a hundred Huang Yishu, has a huge fortune, could have been a successful end of life, the second half of life to spend their twilight years in peace and enjoy the glory. But with a strong sense of patriotism Huang Yishu did not do so, but to spend on the construction of the motherland. Huang Yijiu before returning to the country, consider how to use their own wealth in the future to serve the country. Huang Yishu in Indonesia for more than thirty years of commercial activities, a deep understanding of the status and role of the banking and financial industry, especially in 1917, the Chinese overseas sugar merchants in the difficulties encountered by the Dutch bank capital deliberately difficult, Huang Yishu said: "I think my expatriates suffer from the harsh laws of a foreign country for a long time, if you don't think of the state of their parents, trying to make it rich and strong, and futile to sit on their own floaters also! ", so determined to start their own bank. In 1920, Huang Yizumi traveled to the Oriental financial metropolis of Shanghai, met with the Shanghai "Declaration" chairman of the Board of Directors Shi Rangcai, banker Hu Yun (Hu Penjiang) and others, *** with the discussion on the founding of the Bank of Central and South. After many preparations, June 5, 1921 South China Bank announced the establishment of July 5, officially opened, Huang Yizhu as chairman, Hu Penjiang as general manager. After the bank filed a case with the National ***, it became one of the three banks that could issue banknotes in the country at that time, and was the only private bank with the right to issue banknotes nationwide. With the continuous expansion of the bank's business, Central South Bank has set up branches and offices in many places. After the establishment of the Bank, it also actively invested in supporting the production and development of various national industries in China. In addition, Huang Yizumi also founded the "Rixing Bank" in August 1921 in Xiamen to communicate with overseas Chinese in Xiamen and overseas remittance financing and promote the development of industry and commerce. Due to the good reputation of the "Rixing", overseas Chinese from all over Southeast Asia deposited their capital in the bank for the purpose of building houses or other industries in their hometowns. 06 "Drinking water remembers its source", the patriotic heart of the overseas Chinese entrepreneurs and social activists, not forgetting the construction of their hometown. In the 1920s, Xiamen Island and Gulangyu Island were both small islands surrounded by the sea, and the seawater, though plentiful, was not drinkable. For a long time, residents on Xiamen Island and Gulangyu Island had to rely on "boat water" for drinking water. When the weather was bad and the boats were blocked by wind and rain, the residents would have no water to use. In addition, the river water was not sterilized and filtered, and was transferred many times, making it extremely unhygienic. Huang Yishu witnessed the water vendors picking and selling water scene of concern, so determined to "create Xiamen tap water, in order to emphasize the health". Huang Yishu heavily engaged in the United States graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology specializing in water engineering Lin Quan Cheng as chief engineer of the water company, a monthly salary of 700 yuan, is said to be the highest salary in Xiamen at the time. Huang Yishu founded the Xiamen Water Company's water quality, tested by foreign experts assessed as the first quality in Southeast Asia, attracting foreign merchant ships to Xiamen Water Company storage and drinking water, which is the first time in the history of Xiamen to solve the problem of drinking water for the residents of tap water. 07 Huang Yizumi although due to poverty only a few years of private school, but knows the importance of education. During the opening of Xiamen University, Huang Yishu was invited by Chen Jiageng and Lin Wenqing, the president of Xiamen University, to donate a building. Originally, Chen Jiageng had promised to name the building after Huang Yisumi when he was invited. Huang Yisumi, however, suggested that the building be named "Qunxian Building". This building is beautifully constructed, often used as the center of the office and ***, where once received Lu Xun, Sun Fuyuan, Gu Jiegang and other famous scholars. Xiamen University "Qunxian Building" Later he donated Xiamen University books and equipment fee of 30,000 yuan. In order to commemorate and honor Huang Yizumi's dedication to education, in June 1931, in the main building of Xiamen University, "Qunxian" on the first floor of the stone inscription "Huang Jun Yizumi, generous help, beneficial books, the friendship can be noted" to commemorate. This inscription is still well preserved there, to the Xiamen University students to and from the legend of the patriotic love of the overseas Chinese. He also successively "advocated huge donations, accumulating more than hundreds of thousands of gold" to the Singapore Overseas Chinese High School, Lingnan University in Guangdong, and Fudan University in Shanghai. 08 July 7, 1937, the war of resistance against Japan broke out in full force, in order to save his life and property, he was advised to join a foreign nationality, Huang Yishu again flatly refused, and said: "Never join a foreign nationality and depend on outsiders. I have no intention to be fashionable. *** to go to the national tragedy, what is there to fear?" Patriotism is once again evident. 15 June 1945, on the eve of victory in the war of resistance against Japan, Huang Yishu died in Shanghai at the age of 77 years old. Huang Yizumi's residence in Gulangyu Island, the western style of the Huang family garden, dignified and atmospheric, the garden flowers and trees, showing the top level of architectural decoration at that time, completely beyond the Gulangyu Island at that time on the consulate of the countries building. Nowadays, the Huang's Garden has long become a famous hotel without stars for tourists to visit and stay. Wandering in it, tourists feel "the first villa of the Republic of China" luxury at the same time, watching the fishing boat singing in the evening listening to the sound of the Gulang piano, all cozy, daydreaming. How steel is made" in the main character Paul Kochagin said: a person's life should be spent in this way: when he looks back, he will not because of wasted years and regret, but also not because of the shame of doing nothing. Huang Yisumi, a native of Nan'an, Fujian Province, the lowest peasant, and ultimately reversed the trend to become the richest man in China at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Civil War, and his name was compiled into the "Who's Who in World Business" in 1914, and his life was really not wasted. The wheel of history rolls forward, never wait for anyone, from the grassroots to the rich, there is no success for no reason, only hard work and dare to dare to do, only to continue to struggle and hard work, is the only way to success. Huang Yizumi, even if the starting point is very low, but the height of the arrival is very high. He told us that even if the origin is humble, even if there is no background, can still harvest success. The current of the times needs this kind of dreamer who dares to break through and do something! While admiring him, we are left with deep contemplation! Huangjia Garden, Gulangyu Island Article author's profile: Xiang Yixue, a sentimental educator, love of literature, love of history, love of writing, love of traveling, love of nature.