Shen Wansan was born in Nanxun Town, Wucheng County, Zhejiang Province (now Nanxun District, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province). Son of Shen You, a wealthy businessman in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty.

Shen Wansan's story is close to legend, and it is hard to tell whether it is true or false. Even Pan Jinlian in Jin Ping Mei said: "Nanjing Shen Wansan, Beijing Dead Tree Bay; A person's name is the shadow of a tree. "

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, he moved to Zhouzhuang with his father and started with hard work. Help businessman Lu Daoyuan manage his finances and get huge sums of money. Fully carry out trade activities and quickly become the richest man in the south of the Yangtze River with "huge assets and more land than martial arts". Living in Nanjing, Suzhou, Wujiang and other places, it is famous all over the world.

There are different opinions about how Shen Wansan got rich. Legend has it that Shen Wansan became rich because of his cornucopia. It is said that Shen Wansan got a cornucopia, and whatever he put in it can turn waste into treasure. It is said that buried in Jubaomen, Zhu Yuanzhang chose Nanjing as his half capital. "Close to the Peak" said that Shen Wansan had alchemy. Another way of saying this is to buy the property of Hu Fenlan Island Garden.

According to Zhouzhuang Town in Biography of Ma Hou in Ming Dynasty, Shen Xiu, a scholar from Suzhou, helped build a third of the capital and invited him to recruit. The emperor restrained himself and said, "One should punish the troops of the world and disturb the people." After remonstrating, he said, Heaven punishes those who are unlucky. How did your majesty punish you? It's Shi Xiu. He's in Yunnan. "

In the early years of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang rebuilt the Great Wall and ordered Shen Wansan to contribute two thirds. Then the capital was established, and Shen Wansan invested to build a third of the capital, Nanjing, which was completed ahead of schedule, without any hard work. Moreover, he actively wants everyone to contribute one or two pieces of silver, spending millions, but there is still a surplus.

Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply afraid that "the people are rich, but the enemy is rich", thinking that he was rewarding the army for insurrection and planning to kill Shen Wansan. Ma Huanghou pleaded, "My concubine knows the law and breaks the law, so it's bad luck to punish her. The people are rich and strong, the people are ominous, and the husband is ominous. What is the national law? " The emperor pardoned Wan San, but sent him to Yunnan, exiled him and confiscated half of his property.

Shen Wansan did exist in history, but the date of his birth and death is controversial.

According to the "Wujiang County Records" compiled during the Qianlong period, "When Zhang Shicheng was in Wu, Wan San was dead, and his second son Mao transported rice from the sea to Yanjing"; However, in the Ming Dynasty, Shen Wansan helped Zhu Yuanzhang build Nanjing City and asked for a reward for the army.

Moreover, Shen Wansan's son Shen Rong's epitaph also mentioned: "At the beginning, Shen Wansan, the former gentleman of Rong's father (Shen Rong), swam at the gates of Yuan Dynasty ..." Shen Rong died in Hongwu nine years ago, and the epitaph used the name of "former gentleman" when referring to Shen Wansan, which is enough to prove that Shen Wansan died in Hongwu nine years ago.

According to the Genealogy of Xuanwei Shen Shi, Shen Wansan and his family were born and died as follows: Shen Wansan (1306 ~ 1394), 88 years old, married thirteen concubines.

The story of Zhu Yuanzhang's rivalry with Shen Wansan is the only one in which imperial power struggles with big businessmen, and the supreme imperial power is bound to win.