According to the genealogy, Wang Zu was born in Shimenkan, Liushuwan, Tianfu (now Nanjing), and his distant ancestor was a recruit from Mu Yingnan during the Hongwu period of Ming Dynasty. After Yunnan was pacified, he stayed in Tun and settled in Luliang (now luliang county). By the time the Wangs arrived at Wang Chi's father, their family was in decline. Wang Chi was young, and his third brother lost his life. After the death of his father Wang Xunye, the family was even more embarrassed. Mother Zhang and second mother Jiang make a living by weaving, scrimping and saving, and making ends meet. Wang Chi was smart and studious since he was a child. Later generations called him "young and smart" ... when he was studying abroad, he was known as a child prodigy. At the age of nine, you can sneer at Yangmei; A double bun is a feast, and the code word can distinguish the lotus root. ..... day care, lotus root endowment pumping water, pay attention to Jia Dong at night, collect ACTS chapter ". However, due to family difficulties, Wang Chi had to leave his private school and start a small business with adults. Wang Chi had no choice but to buy homespun from his hometown and transport it to Zhuyuan, Jin Po (now Panxi) and other places to sell. He also bought brown sugar from those places and sold it in his hometown. This way, there is business back and forth, and the capital turnover is very fast. Besides, Wang Chi is very industrious and thrifty. Over the past few years, he has accumulated more than one hundred pieces of silver.

With capital, Wang Chi's business is booming. He expanded his business projects and business scope, and caravans traveled between counties in Lin 'an Prefecture and Luxi, Shizong and Qiubei. When Wang Chi was twenty years old, his family had become a wealthy family. At this time, Wang Chi is also famous in southern Yunnan.

In the first year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty (24 13, 1862), when Wang Chi bought meat for Zhou Tingsheng, the great king of western Shanghai, he had a conflict with his cousin Jiang Geng. In a rage, he ordered his family to kill Jiang Geng and flee to Kunming. After that, he went to old Ma Rulong (when he was the magistrate of Yunnan) and joined the army in Sichuan. Soon, he and other people in Chongqing joined hands to return to their old jobs and started to drive horses. And set up a firm "Tianshun Sample" to traffic goods between Sichuan and Yunnan. From 11th to 12th year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty, Wang Chi set up "Tongqingfeng" in Kunming, the provincial capital, to manage the exchange deposit business. From then on, the business grew bigger and bigger, and in a few years, he became a rich man in central Yunnan. The newly compiled Yunnan Tongzhi Volume 44 "Finance" contains: "The province is an outstanding bank in Yunnan, with Qingfeng in the province and Tianshunxiang in other places ... No.2 was founded by Youchi ... During the eleventh and twelfth years of Tongzhi, Tongqingfeng was first established in the provincial wall and developed day by day. Still went to Chongqing to imitate the articles of association of Shanxi Gang, reorganized Tianshunxiang, and engaged in remittance and deposit business, with Tongqingfeng as the general number and Tianshunxiang as the semicolon. There are Tianshunxiang Banks in Kyoto, Shanghai, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hankou, Changde, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xufu and Guiyang. The total capital is102,000 yuan, the Kyoto semicolon is 32,000 yuan, and the rest are102,000 yuan ... The Xiantongdian rebellion and the Sino-French Liangshan campaign were all funded and reimbursed, which made a lot of profits. Therefore, the funds are abundant and well informed. No.2 has made great contributions, and all the funds, Ding Yin and Ding Fu belong to it. " By the middle and late Guangxu period, Tianshunxiang semicolon had spread all over 22 provinces 15 provinces in China. Known as the "hero of the South Gang", he keeps pace with the three western gangs in Shanxi and enjoys a good reputation throughout the country. Wang Chi's business empire, dominated by financial and banking, once enjoyed a high reputation. Time magazine once listed him as the fourth richest man in the world at the end of 19.

Wang Chi has a good way to do business and extraordinary courage. At the end of Tongzhi, the Daoku in East Sichuan urgently needed to hand over thirty-two thousand pieces of silver to the Chief Secretary of Sichuan, which was unable to make up for at the moment. The Taoist temple department contacted the business community in Jianchuan, Chongqing, and they were unwilling to borrow it. Officials were anxious to find Tianshun, but Wang agreed without interest. The officials were amazed and thought Tianshun had superhuman courage, strength and reputation.

In the sixth year of Guangxu (243 1, 1880), Tang Jiong was ordered to supervise Sichuan salt affairs. In order to improve the salt-making equipment in Sichuan, he is in urgent need of money. As the chief secretary has no money to draw, Tang Jiong has to raise money from the business circles in Chongqing. However, businessmen believe that although salt tea ceremony loans can be secured by salt wells, it will not take three to five years to develop salt affairs. When can the principal be recovered? I think it's too risky to lend a huge sum of money rashly. Zhang Haicha, a member of Taoist Department, is from Yunnan. He made friends with Wang Chi and came to Wang Chi voluntarily. Wang Chi weighed the pros and cons, consulted with his cronies, and promised to borrow 100,000 taels of salt for the tea ceremony within seven or eight days. Don was overjoyed. He said: "The major banks dare not bear it. He is just a businessman, and he dares to admit it. This shows that this person is extraordinary. Please come quickly, I want to see him. " The next day, Zhang Haicha invited Wang Chi to Tang Fu. Tang Jiong is polite. When repeatedly asked if the loan was sure, Wang Chi said that it could be delivered within ten days, and it would never spoil the event of the Tang Palace. Tang Jiong was puzzled and told him that the remittance fee was only 320 yuan in a hundred years, and Wang had no other opinion. After returning to Zhuang, he immediately organized an inventory of Tianshunxiang's memory, which was not enough. He used the need to deal with the goods as an excuse to sneak to the west to help the banks, business gangs and rich people in his hometown borrow them. Because Wang Chi usually has a good reputation, he can give whatever he wants. In just eight days, 100,000 taels of silver were collected and sent to the Tang government. After that, Wang Chi was worth a hundred times, and his reputation in the business world was growing day by day, and his relationship with the government was getting closer and closer. In order to prepare to engage in copper-tin mining in Yunnan, Wang has painstakingly planned for more than ten years. He has paid 654.38+million yuan for development, and personally visited Sichuan, Hunan, Guangdong, Hankou, Ningbo, Shanghai and other places to attract investment and raise funds to become shareholders, making his own efforts for the development of Dongchuan copper mine, Gejiu tin mine and local industries. Wang gained a lot from mining and became an entrepreneur who was "as rich as an enemy, all over Yunnan".

Wang Chi is not only good at getting rich, but also good at using money wisely. He donated money to build two cable bridges on the Maitreya Panjiang River and rebuild the Confucius Temple in Zhili, Guangxi (now Huxi County). In the ninth year of Guangxu (2434, 1883), France invaded and supported 602,000 silver. After the war, Cen and Bao returned to China. Demobilized soldiers needed pay, and Wang helped them with money.

In the 26th year of Guangxu (245 1, 1900), there was a drought in Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces, and Wang donated 22,000 yuan for disaster relief, which was rewarded by the imperial court. In the same year, Britain, the United States, France, Germany and other Eight-Nation Alliance attacked Beijing, and Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi fled. After arriving in Xi 'an, the national treasury encountered financial difficulties, and asked Xi An Tian Shun Xiang for help, and Wang Chi agreed. In 28 years, Cixi returned to Beijing from xi 'an, and Tianshunxiang continued to support the Qing court. At that time, it was said that Tianshunxiang was one of the treasures of the Qing court. From then on, Tianshunxiang won the trust of the imperial court, and Empress Dowager Cixi appreciated Wang Chi even more. She once summoned him, but Wang Chi was ill and failed. The court awarded Mr. Maitreya, Yunnan, "the second-class Taoist Wang Chi's three generations of first-class seals" and built a square table.

On the seventh day of November in the 29th year of Guangxu (Gregorian calendar 65438+February 25th), Wang Chi died of illness in Kunming, and was buried in Yanzi Village, Wushan, Hongxi.

After Wang's death, his son's grand plan inherited his father's business and operated firms such as Tongfengfeng and Tianshunxiang. Guangxu served as assistant director of the first Yunnan Chamber of Commerce in 32 years. Xuan Tongyuannian (2460, 1909) succeeded the Prime Minister of the Second General Chamber of Commerce, and initiated the establishment of Kunming Yao Long Electric Company the following year. In the third year of the Republic of China (2465, 19 14), he participated in the establishment of Kunming Water Supply Company, and its economic strength and management ability once dominated the Yunnan business community.