Hu Xueyan

Hu Guangyong (1823–1885) (胡光墉), better known by his courtesy name Xueyan (胡雪巖), was a businessman in China during the latter Qing dynasty.

He was also one of the few people given express permission by Empress Dowager Cixi to ride a horse in the Forbidden City.

Through a series of events, at 26 years of age, he became friends with a local salt magnate, Wang Youling.

At the age of 39, Hu eventually found an ally in General Tso, the new viceroy and Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang.

To aid in the movement of Tso's troops and its military expedition against the Muslim rebels in Xinjiang and later the Russians (known as the Ili Crisis), Hu, then being in charge of the Shanghai Transportation and Procurement Bureau, raised up to 15,950,000 taels of silver (600,000 kg) in debt from HSBC - HSBC's first public loan in China.

As a result, Tso was victorious, and Hu was awarded the red-topped hat by the Imperial Court for his efforts.

His best known contribution that still stands to this day is the medicinal hall Hu Qing Yu Tang.