Ming Dynasty Character Stories (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Li Quan / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Chinese culture has a long and profound history. This book introduces the stories of historical figures from the Ming Dynasty of China, comparing Chinese and Pinyin with English. The language is standardized, and the stories are vivid. The annotations and Pinyin are accurate and concise, with bilingual glosses for new words and annotations, facilitating simultaneous learning of language and culture. This book is suitable for foreign students, upper elementary and middle school students, as well as general readers interested in history.
In the southern part of China, there is a small town called Zhouzhuang. Zhouzhuang is not very big, but it produced a very famous wealthy man named Shen Fu. Like his name, Shen Fu was very rich, and it is said that the imperial treasury of the early Ming Dynasty did not have as much money as Shen Fu's family. If he had only been rich, his name might not have been recorded in history. However, he did something very important, making him a historical figure. He built one-third of Nanjing City. He became famous for this, and almost lost his life over it.
On January 4, 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and became emperor in Nanjing, establishing the Ming Dynasty. He named himself the Ming Taizu. He made Nanjing the capital, which meant Nanjing City needed to be expanded. This was a large project that required a lot of money and labor. Zhu Yuanzhang had just founded the country and could not afford so much money at once. What should he do? He began to collect money from the wealthy people in the country. At that time, the wealthy people in Jiangnan were Shen Fu. Shen Fu was a great help to Zhu Yuanzhang, agreeing to build one-third of Nanjing City. So, how did he become so wealthy? Shen Fu was also known as Shen Wansan. It is unclear when he was born or died, but he was a person from the late Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty. In Shen Fu's hometown, people called wealthy people "Wanshu," and since he was the third among his siblings, he was called Shen Wansan. Over time, his real name was forgotten.
Now, if you visit Zhouzhuang, you can still see many shops and local specialties named after "Wansan," all said to be related to him. Shen Fu's family was originally poor. His father moved the family to Zhouzhuang. Zhouzhuang is near a lake, and Shen Fu's father led his family to farm by the lake to make a living. Zhouzhuang is a water town, close to the Grand Canal, the Yangtze River, and the Huangpu River. From here, you could take a boat to many places north and south of the Yangtze River and east and west of the Grand Canal. Through the Yangtze River estuary, you could even go to more distant places like Southeast Asia and Japan. During Shen Fu's time, China's overseas trade was already very developed. Shen Fu saw others getting rich and asked his father for some money to start buying spices, pearls, and other goods from overseas, selling them to the wealthy people in China. He also transported Chinese silk and porcelain to other countries for sale. Shen Fu made full use of his hometown's superior geographical location for overseas trade and became one of the wealthiest people in Jiangnan within a few years.
In Jiangnan, almost no one didn't know Shen Wansan. People were very envious of how quickly he became so wealthy. There are many legends about how he made his fortune. Some say he found a treasure pot that could give him anything he wanted, while others say he could turn iron into gold. Still others say he dug up an ancient treasure trove of gold. The stories became more and more outlandish.
When Zhu Yuanzhang decided to repair Nanjing City, Shen Wansan was absolutely essential. Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was about to send someone to find him, someone reported, "Shen Fu requests an audience with the emperor." Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed. When Shen Fu entered, he said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Your humble servant heard that the emperor plans to expand Nanjing and is willing to contribute." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "How much wall can you build?" Shen Fu replied, "I can build half of the wall for you." Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly displeased: "What, do you want to compete with me just because you have some money? That's not allowed." So Zhu Yuanzhang said, "If you can build one-third, that's good enough. You will start from Zhengyang Gate and end at Shuiximen Gate. However, building a city is a big deal, and it cannot be taken lightly. I will inspect it when it's done."
Shen Fu understood immediately. The section of the wall Zhu Yuanzhang built himself was quite long and in good condition, so it didn't need to be rebuilt. The old wall that Shen Fu was supposed to repair was already unusable and had a complex terrain, making it very difficult. In fact, the section Shen Fu was responsible for was exactly half of the entire project. But he didn't dare to say it.
Zhu Yuanzhang then said, "I will build the wall for the same amount of time as you. When I finish, you must finish. If you finish before me, I will punish the officials in charge of the construction; if you finish after me, I will punish you." Shen Fu felt a great sense of responsibility and a heavy burden. If he failed to complete the project on time or did it poorly, he might even lose his life. He went home and quickly discussed the matter with his brother Shen Gui, who was known as Shen Wansisi and was also a wealthy and capable person. The two immediately organized people to buy materials and tools and hired a large number of laborers.
Construction began, and the two brothers worked from morning to night, strictly supervising and managing the project. The foundation was made of stone, the wall was built with green bricks, and the joints were filled with lime and glutinous rice paste. The wall was five zhang high and two zhang wide, with stone-paved roads on the ground. The Wencheng and gate towers were also built on Zhengyang Gate, Tongji Gate, and Shuiximen Gate. The gate thresholds were said to be made of stone imported from abroad, making them both strong and beautiful. These three gates were the best-built gates in Nanjing City.
Shen Fu and his brother used hired laborers, paying them wages, so the city was built quickly and well. Despite the large scale and difficulty of the project, it was completed ahead of schedule.
One day, Zhu Yuanzhang led officials to inspect the wall built by Shen Fu. He pointed to several places and had strong soldiers use hammers to strike them. The struck areas only left white spots, but the wall remained intact, shocking everyone. It turned out that Shen Fu had had the laborers cover the brick walls with a layer of lime-glutinous rice mixture, making them both beautiful and strong. Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't find any faults and nodded in satisfaction. Shen Fu breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed his head was safe.
Zhu Yuanzhang then took officials and Shen Fu to inspect the wall built by the government. Using the same method, the hammers struck the wall and left large holes. It turned out that the government had forced prisoners and common people to build the wall without pay. Although the supervising officials often beat them, the people still worked carelessly and were unwilling to do such hard labor. Zhu Yuanzhang was humiliated and furious. He immediately called the supervising officials and ordered the demolition of the poorly built wall for reconstruction. It is said that when the reconstruction was almost complete, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the execution of one of the officials and buried his body in the wall, leaving those present sweating with fear.
Shen Wansan, upon hearing this, also felt a chill down his spine. After tens of thousands of people worked for several years, Nanjing City was finally completed. This city had a circumference of 27 kilometers, 10 kilometers longer than the later Beijing City, making it the largest city in the world.
Shen Fu's fame from building the city also brought a deadly curse. Zhu Yuanzhang, who was slightly envious of Shen Wansan's wealth, which was even greater than his own, was particularly displeased that the city project had humiliated him. Although Shen Fu had nearly lost his life building the city, he should have learned his lesson. However, he was too wealthy and too eager to do something for the country, so he made more trouble.
He was just a merchant, only good at business, and didn't understand politics. He didn't know that dealing with the emperor was very dangerous. Once, he offered a lot of money to reward the army, which greatly angered Zhu Yuanzhang. Only the emperor had the right to reward the army, and Shen Fu was just a merchant—how could he do such a thing in the emperor's presence? This time, the emperor ordered Shen Fu's execution. However, Zhu Yuanzhang considered that Shen Fu had once done a lot for the country and was just a merchant with no interest in politics. So, Zhu Yuanzhang later changed his mind and exiled Shen Wansan to Yunnan.
Shen Wansan, a brilliant financial expert and trade expert of the 14th century, was exiled because he was too eager to do good deeds. He never returned and died in exile. He may have never understood what crime he had committed. His birth and death dates are unknown, but many books have been written about him, and many people still dream of being as wealthy as he was.
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