Kunshan's Forefathers

Every place has its local heroes who represent the positive values that inspire its people. In the US we had George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, etc. Among the notable people who have shaped the character and beliefs of Kunshan's people are three wise men, an ancient millionaire and a modern genius.

Gu Yanwu

Gu Yanwu (1613-1682), also known as Gu Tinglin, was a famous Chinese philosopher, linguist, geographer and economist. From a wealthy Jiansu family, he spent his youth studying the classics and preparing for the civil service exams. The war which ended the Ming and created the Qing Dynasty also changed his life. As a solider he witnessed and felt the brutality of war, as his mother, step-mother, friends and neighbors were sacrificed to the desires of others for power and wealth.

As a result, he devoted himself to anti-Manchu activities which however failed to return the Ming court to power, disillusioned with the realities of power and politics, he traveled the country and devoted himself to his studies. Despite numerous offers he consistently refused to serve the Qing Dynasty.

Gu was the first one to divide the rhymes of Old Chinese into 10 groups, based on the special phonological system of Old Chinese. His positivist approach to a variety of disciplines, and his criticism of Neo-Confucianism had a huge influence on later scholars. His works include Yinxue Wushu (Five Works on Phonology), Rizhi Lu (Records of Daily Knowledge) and Zhaoyu Zhi (Annals of the Land of China). He's also famous for the motto "Everybody is responsible for the fate of his country!"

His teachings and belief that the highest duty is to serve is still followed by his Kunshan descendants today. His famous quote was mentioned in five of the interviews as one of the guiding philosophies which defined their lives and actions. His influence actually goes far beyond just Kunshan, his words have been quoted by numerous national leaders, and they represent one of the philosophical pillars of Chinese society that the individuals' efforts are the bricks upon which the nation stands, "Country first, family second, self third."

Gui Youguang

Gui Youguang (1506-1571), one of the foremost stylists of the pure and lucid classical writing school of prose in the Ming Dynasty. Born to a wealthy family in Kunshan and educated in the Confucian classics, Gui's official career was undistinguished: he repeatedly failed the Imperial Examination and was only elevated to "official" status when he was almost sixty. By then, he had already achieved fame as a writer and teacher. He was said to have had several thousand students. As a famous prose author, his main achievement was the creation of a new writing style which was more direct, natural, as opposed to the self-involved emotional writing styles of the Tang and Song dynasties. "Xiangji Xuan Zhi", one of his most famous lyric prose, expressed his remembrance and love to his grandmother, mother and wife by describing all the daily routines and changes that happened in a small room called Xiangji Xuan in the old house of his family. His achievements should not be underestimated, in China, changes in style and philosophy often took centuries to be accepted, although it sounds simple what he was able to achieve in lifetime was singular. For the people of Kunshan his legacy has been the courage and belief that simple and direct ways will always be welcome.

Zhu Bolu

Zhu Bolu (1627-1698), a moralist and educator, was a native of Yushan in Kunshan. Like Gu Yanwu, the fall of the Ming Dynasty became the defining moment of his life. Like Gu Yanwu he lost a parent, his father, to the war in 1645. Because of the war he devoted the rest of his life to the study of ethics and philosophy. After the war Zhu came back to his hometown and began his career as an educator. Critical of the popular education models of the time, which were not practical or useful for teaching students, he wrote his own textbooks and curriculums. The main philosophy of his education was to call on people to be thrifty, caring and selfdisciplined.

His textbooks and methods soon became the accepted methodology for primary education in the Qing Dynasty. His book Zhu Zi Jia Xun (Zhu's Family Instruction) is considered classic in the area of ethics. Most importantly Zhu led by example and practiced what he preached. He devoted himself to the work which he thought was most useful. His resolve was apparent in his numerous rejections of honors and offers of promotion from the Qing Government.

Zhu's personal integrity was also mentioned as a guiding light, especially by the senior government officials I talked to.

Shen Wansan

Shen Wansan was a noble who lived towards the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. He was one of China's greatest and earliest international traders.

His history is shrouded in legend but it is undisputed that he became the richest man of his times. Historians believe that he relied on three factors: Shen's father was a successful farmer and increased his land holdings by reclaiming areas from the marshes and lowlands that dominated the landscape. Shen continued his father's work and developed his first fortune.

After establishing himself, Shen used his talents and capital to expand his wealth.

His empire quickly grew in two directions, agriculture and trade. He continued to reclaim land and used the Yangtze River system, as a distribution and logistics center, to sell Jiangsu and Zhejiang's silk, ceramics, food and handcraft products domestically and internationally.

The Yuan Dynasty, ruled by the descendants of Genghis Khan, had through their extensive conquests, opened trade routes and opportunities to the north and west. Shen took advantage of the times to establish an international trading empire.

His money houses (banks) provided venture and expansion capital for the merchants whose goods he bought allowing him to concentrate on developing the logistics of his shipping empire.

Wealth and power are inseparable, in Shen's case his wealth brought him to the attention of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, founder of the Ming Dynasty. As a new emperor he had many reasons to fear and desire Shen's wealth. Through a series of pretexts he forced Shen to become a soldier in his army, confiscated his fortune and massacred over 80 of his family members. Some of Shen's sons survived and although they never rose to the heights their father did they used their knowledge of finance to lead very comfortable lives.

Shen's family home, built by Shen Wansan's descendants, is located in Zhouzhuang Town. The well-preserved ancient residential house sits in the midst of elegant water views. Zhouzhuang Town is a magical place whose colorful local traditions and customs have earned it the nickname the "Venice of the East." Built in 1742 and located at the southeast side of Fu'an Bridge, the whole architectural complex is of the Qing's style and occupies an area of more than 2,000 square meters (half an acre). Over 100 rooms are divided into three sections and each one is connected by arcades and aisles. The first is the water gate and the wharf, where Shen's family moored boats and washed clothes. The middle part includes the gate tower, the tearoom and the main hall.

Brick gate towers, carved with lively and ingenious figures, depict historic stories and good wishes. The tearoom and main hall were places for serving guests, and the furnishings have been recreated to their original graceful style. The last section is the two-storied dwelling which consists of several parts that are quite different from the main hall, more comfortable and refined in pattern and atmosphere. For a glimpse of Shen Wansan you can see a painted sculpture of this legendary Kunshan forefather in the nearby Datang Tower.

Shen lives on in the memories of people in Kunshan as an example of ingenuity and enterprise, who used his talents to create great wealth. Like many of the sons of Kunshan he got caught in the tides of change.

An Wang

There is one more native of Kunshan who has a more modern success story. An Wang, a native of Kunshan, who was educated in the US, was the founder of Wang Laboratories. A brilliant researcher, with degrees from Shanghai-based Jiaotong University and the US's Harvard University, his company was the first to develop a useable computerized word processing system, which initially dominated the market.

Unfortunately, due to management problems the company declined relative to its competitors. In his later years Wang devoted his time to philanthropic projects including creating research facilities.

While every area in China has its famous citizens, Kunshan's seem to have a common theme, that talent, hard work and a willingness to sacrifice can create future success and a better society.