Du Yuansheng (Volume 1, 2, 3)

Author: Yun Di
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-03-01
Features: Life's path is always unpredictable. Du Yue-sheng was a powerful figure in Shanghai during the Republican era. Who could have imagined that this "urchin" who lost his parents in childhood and wandered the streets would become a dazzling figure in the turbulent times. Du Yue-sheng's life journey began when he was on the brink of despair in the underworld. After allying himself with Huang Jin-rong, the chief detective of the French concession, he was able to establish a secret society, recruit disciples, and associate with the leaders of the Green Gang and the thugs of the concession. He quickly rose to become a powerful crime lord. Du Yue-sheng was incredibly influential, mediating the open and hidden conflicts between the British and French concessions, smoothing over the rivalry between Huang Jin-rong and the son of the Zhejiang Military Governor, and even calming the treacherous power struggles between the KMT and the Japanese puppet regime—all seemingly with just a few words. Often, it seemed that merely lending a helping hand was enough for him to effortlessly become the president of the Shanghai Flour Exchange, the head of a veteran shipping company, and a giant in Shanghai's financial industry. He made a fortune in gambling dens, opium dens, and pleasure houses, indulging in both wealth and debauchery.
Du Yue-sheng was neither scholarly nor martial; he was neither official nor civilian. In the days of Shanghai, there was a saying: "If Du Mr. says a word, it's settled." He was cunning and skillful at navigating the world, building connections from the President of the National Government and high-ranking military officials to outlaws and hoodlums, and even to officials and merchants from Europe and America in China. In the semi-feudal, semi-colonial old China, he, becoming an exceptionally prominent figure in Shanghai. However, many things were not simply settled by "Du Mr. saying a word." From his days as a troublemaker in the underworld to his fame in the realms of industry and finance, Du Yue-sheng aspired to be the mayor or the president of the council, always dreaming of being a legitimate leader of Shanghai. Despite having the means to secure the most votes, he was ultimately forced to "step down" voluntarily. Shanghai was both his rise to power and his domain of influence. Even though he, like ordinary people, harbored a desire to return home when the leaves fall, in the end, he could only die in a foreign land, unable to return his remains to his roots.
In the life of this Shanghai tycoon of the old era, perhaps we might discover that there are many things beyond mere luck and opportunity.