Hu Xueyan (1823 to 1885) began as an apprentice in a money shop at the age of 14. In 1860 Wang Youling became governor of Zhejiang. Out of gratitude to Hu, Wang put his full support behind Hu’s Fukang money shop.
After the Qing army retook Hangzhou, the provincial treasurer Jiang Yili introduced Hu to the governor-general Zuo Zongtang. Zuo wrote to the throne that every task he had given Hu was “handled to complete satisfaction.” Hu went on to help Zuo found the Fuzhou Navy Yard in 1866, and in 1872 he raised loans to fund Zuo’s campaign in Xinjiang.
He is remembered as a hongding shangren, a red-topped merchant. Zuo’s memorial already named him by an official rank.