On the historical merits of Hu Xueyan,a"businessman in a cap with a red top "in the Qing Dynasty

Hu Xueyan was one of the pioneers who proposed to learn from foreign countries in the modern history of China. His contributions are mainly reflected in six aspects. Firstly, he helped Zongtang to reinforce the sea defense and found the Fuzhou ship bureau. Secondly, he imported advanced machine equipments and technology from western countries initiatively and assisted to develop the northwest area of China. Thirdly, he bought advanced weapons from the western countries to reinforce the Zuo Army and recovered Xinjiang Province in time. Fourthly, he carried out charities at that time. Fifthly, he went to Japan twice and bought back some of Chinese cultural relics. Lastly, he solely founded the golden trade mark Hu Qing Yu Tang Xue Ji Guo Yao Hao which set a good example of sincerity and no cheat at that time.