Merchant General

Author: Ye Xin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: This book delves into the development of national capital during the decades from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, with significant focus on the geographical environment, customs, and local culture along the mule caravan route from Xuanwei in eastern Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, and northern Myanmar. It also highlights the intense struggles between the mule caravans and bandits, as well as between the Yunnan Army and bandits, described as "archers bending their bows on the frontier." The book also explores the social life in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai during the early years of the Republic of China, as well as Guangdong before the pre-internal revolutionary war. It portrays a kaleidoscope of characters, from the top-tier figures like Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Republic of China, and the heroic Yuan Shikai who led the movement to overthrow Yuan Shikai, to the high-ranking generals of the Yunnan and Guizhou armies, down to the mule caravan leaders (mule bosses), mule drivers, cloth shop owners, county officials, bandits, prostitutes, and innocent ethnic minority women, embodying both virtue and vice. The book "revives" the era's atmosphere, which has faded by half a century or even a century. In the historical tapestry it depicts, the focus remains on an entrepreneur who harbored ambitions for business from a young age, rose from scratch, and, through perseverance, wit, and courage, overcame countless insurmountable difficulties to become a renowned and internationally famous tycoon of Xuanwei ham. He is also portrayed as an excellent talent, a diligent and thoughtful individual with an upright and modest character, embodying the spirit of both Confucianism and chivalry. This is the character of Pu Zaiting, who grew up in the soil of Yunnan's regional culture, with a legendary background and profound depth.