The Story of Brewing King Jang Jin-hoon

In 1840, Zhang Zhenxun was born in a village private school in Dapu County, Guangdong Province. Although my father practiced medicine in addition to teaching, the family life was still very poor. Zhenxun studied with his father in a private school for several years. When he was thirteen or fourteen, he had to drop out of school and go to his brother-in-law's family to herd cattle. But he was too fond of reading, once because of reading and forgot to manage the cow, the cow ate the seedlings in the other people's field, and the master of the brother-in-law's home, ask for compensation. Brother-in-law angry and hard to hit small Zhenxun with a box on the ear, also scold him and said: "The dead can keep four pieces of coffin board, you even a cow can not see, really even the dead are not as good as!"

Small Zhenxun said angrily: "you don't look down on people too much, in the future I made a fortune..."

Before he could finish, he sneered and said, "You want to be rich too? Unless the sun rises in the west!"

Small Zhenxun angry face blue, turned around and ran home.

The father did not scold him, but said in embarrassment, "My son, what are you going to do in the future?"

Xiao Zhenxun thought of his reading Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, in which there were many examples of people who had become rich by trade on the articles, The Legend of Trade, and said to his father, "I want to learn to do business!"

His father sent him to a bamboo workshop as an apprentice because there was no chance of a suitable student. Xiao Zhenxun was not afraid of hardship and learned his craft very well. However, when he was 16 years old, the worst drought in a hundred years occurred in his hometown. People starved to death everywhere. No one needed bamboo tools anymore, and no one came to study. Small Zhenxun had to go up every day and brother, brother dig grassroots, peel bark, for a family hunger. At this time, a Nanyang overseas Chinese surnamed Huang returned home to visit his relatives. Seeing a severe famine, he generously took out the money and gave each family in the same village a square of white rice. The villagers were very grateful to him. Zhang Zhenxun was very envious and asked the overseas Chinese if he could work in Nanyang to earn money. When the overseas Chinese surnamed Huang saw that he was strong and industrious, he expressed his willingness to take him to the South Ocean to make a living.

Zhang went home in a hurry, convinced his parents, and with his Chinese surname, Huang, boarded a sailboat to Pakcheng, Indonesia, today's capital, Jakarta.

After more than ten days at sea, Zhang Zhenhoon set foot on Indonesian soil full of hope. The clear and bright blue sea water, towering coconut trees, lush rubber forests, fragrant betel nut flowers, emitting the aroma of meat satay... Full-bodied exotic amorous feelings make small Zhen Xun feel novel and interesting. But what he cared more about was where he could get his free money. He never forgets that his parents and relatives back home are in dire straits and are looking forward to him earning more money to support the family!

However, at that time, Ba City, under the rule of the Dutch colonialists, its beautiful scenery, was just a paradise for the rich. It's still hard for the poor to make a living here. Zhang Zhenxun, who was unaccompanied, found a place to live with the help of an overseas Chinese surnamed Huang, but failed to find a job for two months and ended up working as a miner in a very difficult and dangerous job.

It was not until three years later that Mr. Zhang became a helper in a paper business run by overseas Chinese from Fujian. He knew that the work was hard won, so as long as the boss told him to do it, he did it conscientiously. Sometimes he would do the work of two people without complaining. In the evenings when he was free, he was always eager to learn the local language and business. The Chen boss of the paper line values him very much because of this, let him become a salesman first, promote him again LATER when Mr. Accounting room, the whole store silver money in and out and accounting management are entrusted to him. Jang also lived up to his boss's trust and worked hard to run the business, making a profit of 50,000 guilders that year. At this time, someone secretly encouraged him to find the opportunity to take the money in the store fled back to his hometown and went to happy days. Jang Jin-hoon firmly refused to do so because he thought it was immoral and the way of a hopeless man. After Chen's boss knows, more esteem this young man feels this is a reliable person, his only daughter Chen Lanxiang also married Zhang Zhenxun so.

At the end of this year, Chen's boss died because of illness, when dying, he put the things behind him, entrusted to Zhang Zhenxun. After burying the old man, Zhang Zhenxun and his wife discuss how to develop his future career, he said, although an open paper line can sustain life, but will not have what big development, over the years, he carefully observed and studied the city's business situation, the best development prospects, should be the wine line. Because the Dutch colonialists spent so much money on wine that they couldn't live without it; among the residents, there are many people with good wine. So he wants to close the paper store and open a wine store. His wife, who had always admired his shrewdness, agreed when he made sense.

After the liquor store opened, business was booming. Zhang Zhenxun is kind-hearted, in the reception of customers pays attention to understanding the local conditions and people, and makes friends in all aspects. Even Henry the Dutchman, the highest magistrate in the area, became his friend. Later, Jang won the bidding competition for the right to collect the tax and pawn donation of Paseong liquor with Henry s help. He made a lot of money from collecting taxes and pawning, and his wealth increased exponentially. At the same time, through Henry's connections, he gradually expanded this business to other cities and other goods. In a few short years, Mr. Jang became a notable local millionaire.

But Mr. Jang was not satisfied with the way he made his fortune, and he was looking for something more promising. In 1866, a new opportunity opened up. To develop the nearby islands, the local government called on overseas Chinese to invest in reclamation. Zhang Zhenxun believed that with the Nanyang islands, fertile land, coupled with a suitable climate, the prospect of development will be good, this is a great opportunity to show your skills, show your ambition! So he went to Gropabu, also a Dutch colony, to establish a Yuhe reclamation company. The company hired a group of overseas Chinese workers, cleared a wasteland, planted cash crops such as coconut, coffee, and tea, and interplanted grain in the fields. After a few years of hard work, the former jungle swamp has been transformed into a fertile field. His income has increased along with it. As he always attaches importance to his reputation, the business has been doing well. He also made money by catering to the Dutch garrison and laborers, and by repairing buildings. His position in overseas Chinese society became higher and higher, and his career became bigger and bigger. To accelerate reclamation, he recruited local Chinese laborers, wrote back to his hometown, summoned villagers to participate in the development of Nanyang, and successively set up three reclamation companies: Yuying, Li Wang, and Wanyuying. Li Wang alone has tens of thousands of employees and assets of millions of guilders!

In 1875. Zhang Zhenxun went to Sumatra again to manage a reclamation business, opened an Aceh reclamation company, run a rubber garden, tea garden, fish pond, and bank, and become rich and rich "Su island". At the same time, he has invested a lot of his profits in other industries. In Baicheng, he ran two shipping companies, Guangfu and Yuchang, which engaged in ocean shipping; In the sun, there is a Japanese bank; In Wendongbu, there is a tin mining Dongxing mining Company; It also owns large real estate holdings in Medan, Penang, and Sumatra. After more than 30 years of entrepreneurial struggle, by the 1890s, the business scope of Zhang's enterprise has included agriculture, mining, commerce, transportation industries, and branches all over South Asia. It is estimated that the total overseas assets of Zhang Zhenxun at the peak of the enterprise were about 70 million taels of silver, which was the same amount as the annual fiscal revenue of the Qing government at that time. This is truly a rich country!