(Minghui.org) As the New Year begins, many people set their sights on success and wealth. It is also a time to reflect on what success means and how to achieve it.
The I Ching (Book of Changes), an ancient Chinese classic, states, “A family who accumulate kindness will surely enjoy lasting blessings.” Here are several stories to illustrate this principle.
Dou Yanshan was a wealthy man who lived during the Five Dynasties period in Youzhou (present day Hebei Province). Although rich, he remained childless. One night he dreamed of his late grandfather, who said, “You are destined to have no children and your life will be short. However, if you do good deeds you may change your fate.”
After that Dou became generous in helping others. When relatives or neighbors passed away and their families could not afford a proper burial, Dou would contribute money to help out. For orphans or poor girls who could not afford a dowry, he would help with funds for a decent wedding. In addition, he lent money to the poor, allowing them to learn a skill or start a business to make a living. Although Dou and his family lived a frugal life, they built a library to educate underprivileged youth.
After several years, Dou again dreamed of his grandfather. “The good deeds you have done accumulated lots of hidden virtue. Because of that, your age will be extended by 36 years and you will be blessed with five children,” his grandfather said.
Later, Dou continued to help others generously and he fathered five children. Dou was strict with their education and all five successfully passed the imperial examination to become high officials.
The story of Dou was well known in Chinese history. From him, people have learned that doing good deeds can change a person’s fate and that blessings can follow naturally.
Fan Li, a legendary figure during the Spring and Autumn period, also had a unique perspective on success and wealth.
As a senior official to King Goujian of Yue, Fan once became a hostage alongside the King in the state of Wu. However, Fan took a series of initiatives and, within about 20 years, he not only helped King Goujian defeat Wu, but also made him a hegemon among all states.
Knowing King Goujian well, however, Fan was not obsessed with his success or title. Quietly, he departed from the King’s service and advised another official Wen Zhong to do the same. “When all birds are gone, the hunter puts away his bow; when the cunning rabbits are caught, the hunting dog may be killed,” Fan wrote to his friend. “Our king is someone with whom you can share hardship, but not prosperity. Why don’t you leave too?”
However, Wen refused to listen and he was eventually killed by Goujian. Fan, on the other hand, changed his name to keep a low profile and led his family to the state of Qi. Applying the strategies that he once used to conquer Wu, he soon accumulated a great fortune.
Upon hearing of his business success, the King of Qi was impressed and wanted to appoint Fan as a chancellor. However, Fan declined. “For an ordinary person, accumulating a great fortune or becoming a chancellor is probably the best one can get,” he commented, yet he had accomplished both. He also believed that holding a high title for a lengthy period could invite misfortune. Consequently, Fan gave away most of his fortune and once again led his family to the place of Tao (today’s Heze City of Shandong Province), where he once again changed his name to Tao Zhugong.
The land of Tao was fertile and produced abundant crops; its location was also ideal with roads connecting various states. Within 19 years, Fan accumulated a great fortune three times—each time, he would give away almost all his fortune and start all over again. His continued success even made many people believe that Tao Zhugong (Fan Li) was the god of wealth.
Despite his success, Fan recognized there were also things he was unable to achieve. He had three sons, but the second one was detained in the state of Chu after killing someone. To secure his release, Fan filled an old worn-out container with gold, and asked his youngest son to use it to rescue his brother.
However, the first son disagreed, saying it was his responsibility to rescue the second son; he even threatened suicide if his request was denied. His mother also sided with him. Fan had no choice but to agree. He instructed his first son to give a letter and the gold to a friend named Zhuang Sheng in the state of Chu. “You need to follow everything Zhuang tell you and do not argue with him,” Fan reminded him.
Zhuang lived in poverty, and the first son presented the letter and the gold to him. Zhuang told him to leave immediately. But the first son did not believe Zhuang could help. Instead, he used extra gold he brought to connect with other officials in an attempt to rescue his brother, without Zhuang’s knowledge.
Zhuang was a renowned and respected intellectual. He discussed astrology with the King of Chu, prompting the King to consider an amnesty. Upon learning this through his connections, Fan’s first son believed the gold had been wasted and approached Zhuang to retrieve it.
Zhuang never wanted the gold to begin with, but saw it as a matter trust between him and Fan. However, when he was forced to return the gold, he felt humiliated and betrayed. In response he approached the King with an amended astrology story. As a result, the King ordered the execution of Fan’s second son in accordance with the law.
When the first son returned with the body of his younger brother, their family and friends were overcome with grief—everyone except for Fan. “I knew this would happen,” Fan said. “The eldest son lived with me in poverty in the state of Yue and he would never easily give money away. He loves his younger bother, but his obsession to fortune cost his brother’s life in the end,” Fan explained.
“The third son was born in the place of Tao and he grew up in a wealthy family. So he could abandon fortune as needed. So I knew he could save the second son. I already knew all this from the beginning,” he continued.
This story shows the importance of integrity. When one is obsessed with wealth so much that it affects his kindness or integrity, troubles may soon follow.
Such an understanding in ancient China is consistent with the traditional wisdom in the Western culture.
“Virtue does not come from wealth, but wealth, and every other good thing which men have comes from virtue,” remarked Socrates.
Seneca in Ancient Rome also had unique insight on wealth. “For many men, the acquisition of wealth does not end their troubles, it only changes them,” he said.
From the Ten Commandments to the Seven Deadly Sins, greed is always discouraged. Making a fortune is allowed, but one has to do it in the right way— otherwise, the person will be unlikely to succeed—even if there are short-term gains, various troubles may follow.
The situation has changed in modern society. Karl Marx, the founder of communism, viewed the wealth in capitalism as inherently unjust. Both in the Soviet Union and the Communist China, wealth was also denounced, and wealthy people were often killed and their assets confiscated in the early days of totalitarian rule.
After gaining power, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) changed its narrative from honoring poverty to celebrating wealth. Guandao— profiteering by officials—and widespread corruption became so severe in the 1980s, that they resulted in the democratic movement leading up to the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989.
Following the harsh suppression in 1989, ordinary citizens knew they were powerless to challenge the political system. The only thing they could do was to amass a fortune themselves, either legally or at the expense of others. Together with the continuing decline of moral values, this pushed society into a swamp of systemic cheating and lying.
Data shows that over the past 13 years, more than 160 CCP officials have been identified for embezzling at least 100 million yuan (or US $14 million) each. Even in remote Xinjiang, former Party secretary Li Pengxin was found in January 2025 to have accepted money and property valued at over 833 million yuan (US $115 million).
An article from The South China Morning Post in November 2015 found “Chinese people are the most dishonest, and British and Japanese people the most honest, according to a study of truthfulness involving more than 1,500 people from 15 countries.”
China can boast thousand of years of history in which virtue was well respected. Within a few decades, however, the CCP has managed to demolish traditional values through campaigns such as Cultural Revolution, and replaced them with the communist ideology of class struggle, hatred, and lies.
As a result, China’s future appears uncertain and bleak. When will the Chinese people once again be blessed with wealth and prosperity? Perhaps these blessings will only return when people abandon the communist ideology.