Hu Xueyan Memorial Hall

　　   Located in Jixi County, the memorial hall covers an area of about 800 square meters and includes two courtyards. The site was originally built during the Ming Dynasty as the Wenchang Temple. The memorial hall uses a large number of photos, books, and physical objects to recreate Hu Xueyan’s life as he rose and fell through the worlds of commerce and officialdom. It is reported that the memorial hall has collected nearly a thousand tools and daily items used by Hu Xueyan during his lifetime, over a hundred of which have been sorted and displayed. The memorial hall also specially replicated a "pharmacy" modeled after the "Hu Qing Yu Tang" Traditional Chinese Medicine shop, with the Hangzhou-based "Hu Qing Yu Tang" providing thousands of types of Chinese patent medicines and hiring traditional Chinese medicine experts to offer services to visitors.

　　   Hu Xueyan (1823–1885), childhood name Shunguan, courtesy name Xueyan, was from Huli Village. In his youth, his family was poor and he made a living herding cattle. When he grew older, he was recommended to work as an apprentice at a money shop owned by a Mr. Yu in Hangzhou, where he earned the shop owner's favor and was promoted to running errands. In the 10th year of the Xianfeng reign (1860), due to the shop owner having no heir, on his deathbed, he gave the money shop to Hu, who then established the Fukuang Money Shop. He became acquainted with officials and eventually became a prominent merchant-gentry figure in Hangzhou.

　　   In November of the 11th year of Xianfeng (1861), when the Taiping Army attacked Hangzhou, Guangyong procured and transported arms and grain from Shanghai and Ningbo to supply the Qing army. When Zuo Zongtang was appointed governor of Zhejiang, he assigned Guangyong as the chief administrator, in charge of provincial tax revenues and military funding. As a result, the Fukuang Money Shop profited significantly. Officials both inside and outside Beijing treated Fukuang as their unofficial treasury, depositing limitless funds. He also assisted Zuo Zongtang in establishing enterprises, overseeing the Shanghai Procurement and Transportation Bureau and managing the Fujian Ship Administration Bureau. He handled the purchase of foreign machinery and arms, as well as the recruitment of foreign technicians, earning substantial commissions. He also manipulated commerce in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, monopolizing the export of silk and tea, controlling the market, and dominating finance.

　　   In the 11th year of the Tongzhi reign (1872), the Fukuang Money Shop had over 20 branches spread across the country. With capital of more than 20 million taels and land holdings of tens of thousands of acres, he was granted the title of Acting Intendant of Jiangxi and awarded the privilege to wear a yellow mandarin jacket due to his contributions to Zuo Zongtang, making him a typical example of an official-merchant.

　　   In the 13th year of Tongzhi (1874), plans were made to establish the Hu Qing Yu Tang Xuji Traditional Chinese Medicine Shop. In the 2nd year of the Guangxu reign (1876), over 10 acres of land were purchased outside Yongjin Gate in Hangzhou to build a gelatin factory. Based on a prepared medicine bureau, the Hu Qing Yu Tang Xuji Pharmacy hired renowned physicians from Zhejiang at great expense, collected ancient prescriptions, summarized experience, and developed over 400 proven formulas for pills, powders, ointments, elixirs, gelatins, tinctures, and wines—conveniently prepared for easy carrying and consumption. At the time, with frequent wars and epidemics, medicines such as “Hu’s Epidemic-Dispelling Pill,” “Zhuge Military Powder,” and “Eight-Treasure Scarlet Elixir” were highly popular. Later, Hu Guangyong personally wrote a plaque inscribed with “No Deception,” teaching employees that “the pharmaceutical business concerns lives, and deception must never be tolerated,” and that “procurement must be genuine, preparation must be meticulous.” The medicinal materials he used were directly sourced from their places of origin, and he even established his own deer farm. Hu Qing Yu Tang became one of the largest domestic traditional Chinese medicine shops comprehensively producing patent medicines, gaining fame both in China and abroad, and playing a significant role in advancing China’s pharmaceutical industry.

　　   In the 8th year of the Guangxu reign (1882), Guangyong opened a silk factory in Shanghai, spending 20 million taels of silver to buy up millions of piculs of new domestic silk at high prices, attempting to monopolize the silk trade. This angered foreign merchants, who united to boycott Chinese silk. Additionally, because customs and maritime transport were controlled by foreigners, direct exports were not possible. The following summer, he was forced to sell at low prices, suffering losses of 10 million taels, losing half his family fortune and experiencing cash flow problems, with rumors spreading widely. Officials from various regions rushed to withdraw deposits, and collective protests arose. In November, businesses in various locations collapsed, family assets were sold off, the Hu Qing Yu Tang changed ownership, and bankruptcy was declared. Soon after, the Qing court ordered his dismissal, investigation, and severe punishment. Guangyong dismissed his concubines and servants and died in despair in November of the 11th year of Guangxu.

　　

　　Hu Xueyan (1823~1885)　　Red-Topped Merchant Hu Xueyan (1823–1885), also known as Hu Guangyong or the Red-Topped Merchant, was a late Qing Huizhou merchant and an official of the second rank. As a renowned businessman of the late Qing period, Hu Xueyan assisted in founding the Fuzhou Shipyard, the Shanghai Procurement and Transportation Bureau, and established the Hu Qing Yu Tang Xuji Pharmacy. In business, Hu Xueyan emphasized that “Heaven provides innate wisdom, the foundation of business; Earth represents acquired cultivation, relying on integrity; and People embody benevolence and righteousness, knowing when to take and when to give, adhering to the principle that ‘a noble person loves wealth, but acquires it through righteous means.’” However, the once immensely popular Hu Xueyan ultimately ended in bankruptcy, surviving his later years on the meager income from Hu Qing Yu Tang. From a broader historical perspective, Hu Xueyan’s downfall was also a tragedy of his era, and his decline was... Details+