Huizhou Celebrity --- Hu Xueyan
Hu Xueyan（1823～1885）, whose original name was Hu Guangyong, was born in Jixi of Huizhou. His courtesy name was Xueyan. Hu Xueyan led a poor life in his childhood. He once helped other people to pasture cattle for living. And then he grew up, he was recommended to be an apprentice in Hangzhou. The shop-holder emphasized him and specially trained him. In 1860, the holder died and consigned this shop to him because this holder did not have the descendant. Since then he opened Fukang private bank and had a close connection with the official, and then he became the No.1 businessman. In 1861, the uprising military of The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (Taipintianguo, in Chinese pinyin) attacked Hangzhou, Hu Xueyan bought the arms and food from Shanghai and Ningbo to help the governmental army of Qing Dynasty. Zuo Zongtang, the leader of Xiang army of Qing Dynasty, acted as the top official of Zhejiang province, and assigned him as the general supervisor to manage the currency and grains of Zhejiang province, hence he got a great profit from it.
He also assisted Zou Zongtang to build up many firms and factories. He operated Shanghai Bureau of exploration and transportation, meanwhile managed Fujian Ship and post Bureau. He also purchased foreign machinery and ammunition, and he also invited foreign scientific and technological experts. He also manipulated Jiangsu and Zhejiang business community, exclusively operated the silk and tea export. He lately was rewarded as one official in Jiangxi province, and honorably wore the Yellow Jacket gifted from Emperor. He was a typical official businessman.
In 1876, he bought around 10 mu lands in Hangzhou for establishing Huqingyutang Chinese Medicine Shop. He employed many famous doctors and created a lot of new but functional medicines. At that time the epidemic disease widely spread in military troops, and his medicine was welcomed widely. Afterwards, Hu Xueyan specially wrote two Chinese character:戒欺, which in English，never cheat. And he told the staff that the honesty and faithfulness were the lifeline of medicine industry. Huqingyutang became the largest and all-sided Chinese Medicine center. He did a great contribution to the development of Chinese traditional medicine.
