Hu Xueyan was born in 1823 and died in 1885. He was ruled by four emperors: Daoguang, Xianfeng, Tongzhi and Guangxu. At this time, it was the most corrupt and incompetent period in China's history, with external humiliation and loss of power and cruel exploitation at home. However, in this case, Hu Xueyan, as an apprentice of a bank, made unremitting efforts to establish "Hu Qingyutang Xue Ji Traditional Chinese Medicine" with his bare hands, and eventually became a red-topped businessman who influenced the ruling and opposition parties and the richest man in the late Qing Dynasty.
In the eighth year of Guangxu, Hu Xueyan opened a silk factory in Shanghai, which cost 20 million taels of silver and collected millions of tons of domestic new silk at a high price, in an attempt to monopolize the silk trade, angered foreign businessmen and jointly refused to buy China silk. Because the customs delivery is in the hands of outsiders, it cannot be delivered directly. The following summer, I was forced to sell it at a low price, with a loss of 10000000, and half of my family's assets went, and the turnover was ineffective, and the news spread everywhere. Bureaucrats all over the country compete for deposits and organize extortion. 1 1 month, local enterprises closed down, the property was sold, and the rest of Hu Qingtang changed hands, declaring bankruptcy. Then, the Qing court ordered dismissal and investigation, and strictly investigated the charges. In November of the 11th year of Guangxu, Yong Guang deposed his concubines and servants and died.
Hu Xueyan's once rich family wealth and flashy life failed to leave inheritance and yearning for future generations. However, Hu Qing Yu Hall, which he carefully built, still stands on Hefang Street in Hangzhou with its fine tradition of "not bullying" and "being genuine". Although the imperial envoy stole the treasury of traditional Chinese medicine, kind people remembered his surname Hu and praised Hu Xueyan's name because of Hu Tang.