Background
His ancestors were farmers, but he could not make a living only by farming
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- Photos
- Works
Yi Dun
Edit Profiletycoon of the warring states period
His names and dates of birth and death are unrecorded. Because he gained fame and fortune in Yi state, he was known as Yi Dun. Dun was a business tycoon in ancient China. He was referred to as "Tao Zhu Yi Dun" for his contributions to the development of commerce in China. Yi Dun rose to wealth from a humble Confucian background to benefit others and future generations. He was greatly admired by many in the history of China.
Career
He set up his animal farm near Duize (today's Wangliao village in Linqi), rearing cows and sheep. Yi Dun worked hard to grow and expand his farm. Within 10 years, his income increased tremendously and he became famous across the land. While he was running his farm, he noticed that there was a salt pond in the south of Qishi. Soon Yi Dun realised that the salt business was very lucrative. As such, after he had accumulated enough capital from his farm, he began developing a salt business.
To effectively manage his salt business and expedite transport, Yi Dun changed his mode of transportation by constructing the first man-made canal in Shanxi. In his great prosperity, Yi Dun also traded in jewellery and jade. He had a high ability to evaluate jewellery.
Achievements
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Yi Dun eventually became a wealthy man by running his livestock, salt, jewellery and other businesses. His success had a major impact on society at the time and later. With the support of the people living near him, Yi Dun built a neighbourhood known as the City of Yi Dun. This county survived through a few dynasties and was eventually moved north in AD 559. The people in the county enjoyed peace and contentment.
Connections
- Tutor, friend:
- Tao Zhu Gong
At the most difficult time of his life, Yi Dun heard a story about how Tao Zhu Gong (Fan Li) had made a fortune as a businessman. Therefore, Yi Dun went to ask Tao Zhu Gong for advice, who treated him with great friendliness. Tao Zhu Gong told him: "To make a fortune, you should raise livestock." Yi Dun was greatly inspired by Fan Li. He travelled a long way to Linqi of Shanxi to set up his animal farm near Duize (today's Wangliao village in Linqi), rearing cows and sheep. To show his gratitude to the Duke of Tao Zhu, Yi Dun built a temple to worship him in the Wangliao village.
