Brief introduction of Wu Bingjian
Wu Bingjian, the richest man in China in the 20th century, was the richest man in the turbulent period of Qing Dynasty. I want to know what kind of legendary life he has.
In the late Qing dynasty, the imperial court implemented the policy of "closing the country to the outside world", but it did not completely block all foreign trade. At that time, there were thirteen foreign trade lines. It is precisely because of this background that Wu Bingjian was perfected. The Wu family, whose ancestral home was in Fujian, moved with their families during the Kangxi period, settled in Guangdong and started business. When Wu was in the hands of Wu Bingjian's father, he started a business and did foreign trade. When Wu Bingjian took over the family business at the age of 32, Wu's business began to develop rapidly.
He is gifted in business, established close ties with Europe and America with his advanced ideas, and gained great wealth through extensive transactions with foreign businessmen. It also includes lending money to the East India Company when it is in trouble and becoming the company's largest creditor. China's tea has always been a hot-selling product abroad, but Europeans have strict requirements on quality. Among all the tea exported, Wu's tea is considered by British merchants to be of the best quality, so she got the highest price treatment. From here we can see Wu Bingjian's long-term vision.
Of course, Wu Bingjian's business development is not limited to the tea business. He also owns real estate and shops in China, invests in railway construction abroad, as well as securities trading and insurance business. His family Jardine Matheson was a veritable multinational company at that time and was called "the richest man in the world" by some scholars.
Where did Wu Bingjian transfer his property?
It is said that Wu Bingjian was the richest man in China in the 20th century, but how much money did he have? Where did the money go after he died?
Let's give a few examples to illustrate. I believe you will understand why he can be the first! First of all, we must know that at that time, one or two pieces of silver was equivalent to our current two hundred dollars, and Wu Bingjian's worth was converted into four billion now; Besides, do you know what the tax revenue of the Qing Dynasty was? As the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, what is the salary of such a big official as Lin Zexu? At that time, the tax revenue of the Qing Dynasty was 42 million yuan a year, while Lin Zexu's income was 22,000 yuan a year, while Wu Bingjian's worth was the income of the imperial court for half a year at that time. Lin Zexu needed to earn a thousand years without eating or drinking! I think everyone knows how rich he is now, so where did all the money go?
As we all know, after the Opium War broke out, the rulers signed many treaties, all of which stated that they would cede territory to compensate the western powers. So where did the money come from?
According to records, after the treaty of nanking was signed, the Qing government ordered the bank to contribute three million silver dollars to repay its debts, of which Wu Bingjian contributed one million silver dollars. Before that, Wu Bingjian had spent a lot of money to buy a position from Qing Dynasty in order to better develop his career. But it didn't save his family fortune, because he is doing transnational business, so he has close ties with foreign businessmen. After the Opium War broke out, Qing asked Wu Bingjian for money many times. Needless to say, no matter how rich the firm is, it can't stand the squeeze of * * *. In addition, business needs funds and needs to bear corresponding risks. Therefore, as a wealthy businessman at the end of the feudal dynasty, Wu Bingjian's wealth could not be maintained for a long time, which means that his wealth disappeared with his people in historical occasions.
Where are Wu Bingjian's descendants?
Wu Bingjian was the richest man in the Qing Dynasty, but his descendants were rarely mentioned. So where did he go as a descendant?
Wu Bingjian actually had a son, but his son was adopted by his younger brother Wu Bingjun. Because Wu Bingjun didn't have a son at that time, he insisted on the concept of filial piety, so he found Wu Bingjian, so Wu Bingjian's second son, Wu adopted Wu Bingjun. Coincidentally, Wu had no children, and then he adopted Wu Changmian, the son of his brother. That is to say, he found the descendants of Wu Bingjun and actually found the descendants of Wu Bingjian.
Having said that, where are Wu Bingjian's descendants? What we can find today should be his sixth and seventh generations, namely Wu Pishun and Wu Liling. According to Wu Shuo, his father Wu Pishun studied in the United States. After returning to China, he worked as a professor at South China Agricultural University and died in 200 1 year. In addition, among the known descendants of the Wu family, one is a chef of the Oriental Hotel and the other is a Canadian. Wu's genealogy has been lost, and some genealogies can be found in the local chronicles of Liwan District, including Wu Pishun and Wu's names.
In addition, he also said that everyone is looking for each other, and everyone who is looking for it has already contacted. In addition, those who can't be contacted should settle overseas. So, up to now, Wu Bingjian's descendants have not found much, and they are no longer the brilliant Wu family in the Qing Dynasty. After a long period of precipitation, Wu Bingjian's descendants are no different from others and live like ordinary people.