The heyday of the Wan family was at the beginning of19th century, which was the turning point of the Qing Dynasty from prosperity to decline. First, during the Jiaqing period, the Anbaili Uprising in Sichuan, Chushan and Shaanxi lasted for ten years.
By the middle of19th century, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, East Twist and West Twist fought against the Qing government one after another. It was also at this time that western imperialist powers entered China in succession, and the import of foreign capital broke the conservative economic management system of the Qing Dynasty, and the old social form and production relations were also greatly impacted. Coupled with years of famine, various social crises are imminent.
The turbulent social environment spread to the Kang million family, and it was from this time that the Kang family began to decline. There are several reasons for accelerating the decline of Kang Million:
1. The sinking of a big river cut off the economic source. Around 1862, in order to curb the activities of the Nian army, the Qing government blocked the Yellow River, canals and other rivers, burned and sank all the ships on the river. The Kang family's shipping fleet was devastated, cutting off the main financial resources, which was called "river boat disaster" in history. The shipping fleet is the economic lifeline of the Kang family, and this loss is fatal to the Kang family.
Although Kangjia tried to reorganize the fleet many times later, it never recovered. Later, with the completion of the railway, water transport lost its inherent advantages. Therefore, "River Mourning" can be said to be the turning point of the Kang Million family from its peak to its decline.
2. Manor overhaul consumes property. From Kang Dayong to Kang Yingkui, three generations of single biography is also the entrepreneurial stage of the prosperity of the Kang family. Three brothers in the fourth generation, three brothers in the fifth generation and eight brothers in the sixth generation.
With the increase of population, the Kang Million family began to build manors from the fourth generation, and the scale, time and specifications were rare, which lasted until the seventh generation. It took a lot of money to build 20 architectural communities, including Longwogou, Nanyuan and Zhaishang, supplemented by management, breeding, crafts, sacrifices, academies, gardens and reception.
3. Jianbi is in prison for 200,000. Kang Jianbi is the sixth generation head of Kang Million Family. He was jailed for killing his misbehaving brother, and the government's money alone was roughly calculated to be more than 200 thousand yuan.
Spending money is only a superficial phenomenon. The incident of "building a wall to kill a younger brother" itself exposed the hidden crisis within the Kang million family, which changed the signs of family decline from concealment to superficiality and shook the economic management system formed by the Kang family for generations. During Kang Jian-bi's imprisonment, Shandong's industry was almost lost.
4. Take over one million Cixi. In order to welcome Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu back to Beijing, Kang Hongyou, the sixth generation descendant of Kang Million Family, invested in the construction of pontoon bridge and CCB Palace by himself, and spent a lot of money. At that time, the Kang family had reached the point where they could not make ends meet. In order to save face, Kang Hong was extravagant, giving expensive gifts made of gold and jewels to the emperor, which basically emptied the savings of the Kang family.
5. Sitting on the mountain smoking opium. The seventh and eighth generations of the Kang Million family, accustomed to pleasure, do not think about starting a business, sit in empty seats and smoke opium alone, with more than 30 people. Some people sell their land (wives) because of drug abuse, some people become thieves and beggars, and some people are homeless. At this time, Kang Million Family, which had been famous for 200 years, really reached the position of "helpless flower".
Extended data:
Kang Million Manor:
Kang Million Manor is located between Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, and Luoyang, the ancient capital of the Nine Dynasties. It is 70 kilometers away from Zhengzhou, 60 kilometers away from Luoyang and 4 kilometers away from Gongyi exit of Lianhuo Expressway. No.8 bus in Gongyi city is direct, with convenient transportation. 200 1 was named as a national key cultural relics protection unit, and was approved as a national AAAA-level tourist scenic spot in 2005.
Kang Million Manor is a large-scale feudal landlord manor spanning the three periods of Ming, Qing and Republic of China. It is backed by Mangling, facing Luoshui, facing the natural barrier of the Yellow River in the north and the Song Yue barrier in the south, with beautiful environment and dangerous terrain. Although it was made by people, it fully embodies China's traditional concept of "harmony between man and nature, learning from nature".
The building is built on the street, the cave is built on the mountain, the wall is built around the village, and the dock is located on the river, which integrates the styles of agriculture, politics and business, with rigorous layout and grand scale. With a total construction area of 64,300 square meters, there are 33 courtyards, 53 buildings, 1300 houses and 73 caves.
It is divided into more than ten parts, such as the main residential area on the village, the residential area under the village, the south yard, the ancestral hall area, the workshop area, the vegetable garden, the Longwogou, the Jinguzhai, the garden and the board house area. Siheyuan is basically a typical two-way quadrangle in western Henan, which has some characteristics of gardens and government. All kinds of brick carvings, wood carvings and stone carvings are gorgeous and elegant, which are the representatives of feudal fortress buildings on the Loess Plateau in northern China.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Kang Million