The Qing Dynasty strange man Zhang Bishi was once called China's Rockefeller by The New York Times . He was originally just a cowherd boy, but later he made great progress and became the richest Chinese man in the country.
At that time, the Qing government's annual fiscal revenue was about more than 70 million taels of silver, and Zhang Bishi's personal wealth was as high as 80 million taels of silver, which was more than the fiscal revenue of the Qing Dynasty. How on earth did he do it? Next, let's take a look at how legendary his life is.
Zhang Bishi was born in 1841. His father was a down-and-out scholar during the Daoguang period. Because his family was really poor, he only studied with his father for three years when he was a child, and was forced to go to other people's homes to herd cattle.
Later, there was a famine in Zhang Bishi's hometown and he was forced to flee his hometown and go to other places to make a living. When Zhang Bishi was 18 years old, he was forced to leave his motherland and go to , Indonesia, to make a living because his family was too difficult.
When he was working in a unit, he was highly valued by his boss because of his hard work and excellent ability. The boss knew that he had already married a wife in his hometown, but he still betrothed his daughter to him as a side wife.
After the boss passed away, Zhang Bishi inherited his property. This can be regarded as the first pot of gold in Zhang Bishi's life. He is a very ideal person and has always wanted to make a career. After having sufficient funds, he used the social experience accumulated over the years to carry out business everywhere and made a lot of money from the wine business.
Later, Zhang Bishi met a senior official overseas. With the help of this senior official, Zhang Bishi obtained many privileges and his business became smoother and smoother.
In just a few years, his business territory has expanded rapidly, and his industry almost covers the economic lifeline of Indonesia and Malaysia .
Zhang Bishi's personal wealth has also increased with the tide, but he has not rested on his laurels. Every time he encounters a new opportunity, he will bravely try.
Once, he overheard someone saying that there were many wild grapes growing in Yantai of our country, which were very suitable for winemaking, so he spent 3 million taels of silver to open a factory in the Yantai area, hired many foreign winemakers, and mass-produced high-quality wines. wine.
Zhang Bishi's products are of good quality, but the price is not very high. After being sold to the public, they quickly occupied the market and received unanimous praise from many consumers. They also won multiple international awards.
Although Zhang Bishi made his fortune overseas, he has never forgotten his motherland. In 1898, Zhang Bishi took his family back to Hong Kong, my country. Because of his Chinese identity, he was despised by the Germans. Zhang Bishi tore up the summons on the spot in desperation.
Later, Zhang Bishi spent money to open a Chinese steamship company. The ticket price was half lower than that of Germany, and it was also clearly stipulated that tickets would not be sold to Germans. Because of Zhang Bishi's insistence, the Germans were forced to change the regulations that discriminated against the Chinese.
Later, Zhang Bishi was received by Emperor Guangxu because he had served the country many times, and was also rewarded with a flower feather on his head. Zhang Bishi had no intention of entering politics. He was more willing to use his own money to save the country through industry.
When the Yellow River burst, Zhang Bishi spent a lot of money to help the victims. After the Sino-Japanese War, Zhang Bishi spent a large amount of money again, hoping to revitalize the Beiyang Navy and make the country truly strong.
In addition, Zhang Bishi also invested in the construction of many schools and trained many talents for the motherland. It is reported that Mr. Sun Yat-sen also received secret assistance from Zhang Bishi when he carried out the revolution.
In 1916, Zhang Bishi became ill due to overwork from traveling around for the motherland all year round. In September of the same year, Zhang Bishi unfortunately passed away due to illness at the age of 76.
Before his death, he left a will and hoped to return to his hometown and return to his roots. In Zhang Bishi's view, going out to make a living is just a helpless move. No matter how far he wanders, the motherland is his root and his final destination.
