313:, and He Chenrui (何成睿) gave him leeway in operating his opium empire. In fact, the authorities unofficially allied with opium dealers as a means of netting extra revenue and the drug trade was difficult to clamp down on. By-and-by the opium-dealing circle grew in size, largely due to an influx of salt merchants, and Zeng was granted the right to legally ship opium by his friends in the government who also invested in his firms. He was appointed chairman of the "Special Business Association" whose members included drug dealers and smugglers from all parts of the world.
280:-based Rong Ji Provisions Store (荣记粮店) with his wife and uncle. Owing to local unrest, food prices were high and Zeng profited from the situation. He used these earnings to open a tavern named "Big Diner" (大餐楼) in 1914; it was, at that time, the biggest food establishment in Luzhou. In 1928, Zeng partnered with a fellow salt merchant to establish a
48:
377:
that Zeng was the "most famous opium merchant (who) made a huge amount of money at the peak of the opium mania." Zeng is frequently referred to as the "King of Opium." His contemporaries regarded him as the "opium king of East
Sichuan"; an Italian drug dealer, a Jenkins, lauded Zeng for transforming
295:
and substantially affected earnings. In 1935, during the boom of the opium trade, Zeng decided to pursue the riches involved in drug-dealing. Nonetheless, he was initially apprehensive of the risk involved. He approached a handful of banks for loans, and signed a pact with friends Li
Chongjiang (李舂江)
345:(经营特业五年纪略). In the later half of his life, he donated to a range of organisations, including a primary school in Sichuan. During a famine in Sichuan in 1943, Zeng personally fed victims whom he observed looting a grocery store at the Shangqishi Market. Zeng was a supporter of the
357:
in 1949. He reportedly said, "All the success I have attained in my life has been a façade; alas, I fall together with the
Kuomintang government. I have overcome all challenges, bar this." Zeng Junchen died on 6 July 1964 in
328:
in China. In addition to owning a mega tobacco company, Shu Yi (蜀益烟草公司), he was sole proprietor of
Victory Bank (胜利银行) and had shares in Sichuan Meifeng Chemical, Sichuan Salt, and "eleven other banks". Zeng's disciple was
341:
Following a nationwide crackdown on drugs and growing competition, Zeng retired from the trade in 1939 with substantial savings. He published an account of his time in the realm of opium, titled
320:
from drugs daily. Zeng would be informed of a tax increase coming his way, and he would then promptly arrange for a meetup with members of the
Sichuan treasury, to present them with gifts and a
268:, Zhengran. His grandfather was Zeng Huailun (曾怀伦), a coal factory and dye-house owner. Chenxun's father Zeng Bencan (曾本灿) took over the business from the eldest Zeng. He began working in
288:(approximately 46,000 kilograms); this made them one of the largest salt carriers in the country. For ten years, Zeng served as president of the Chongqing Salt Merchants' Association.
284:-based trading firm named Yu Marketing (渝运销湖北). At the peak of its operations, their business handled three hundred-odd "loads" (载) of salt daily, with one load weighing around 93600
228:. He was often referred to as China's "King of Opium". Zeng was also a philanthropist and donated large sums to charities and schools. He died in July 1964, aged 76, in
378:
Sichuan into the "drug capital of the world", whereas an unnamed
Chongqing official remarked that Zeng was responsible for the livelihoods of "so many".
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trading opium made him one of, if not the, most successful drug barons of China during his period. Li
Xiaoxiong writes in
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1005:
366:, Chongqing, a two-story building with a garden, was gazetted as a monument by the local government in May 2006.
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While Zeng was 75 when he died, per his birth date, Chinese sources maintain that he lived till 76, using
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around 1905, forging connections with other traders and local authorities. Concurrently, he worked at the
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Fortunately for Zeng, his established dealings with high-ranking officials, including He
Guoguang (賀國光),
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merchant, he then became a kingpin and amassed a fortune in some four years of dealing with
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Webs of Smoke: Smugglers, Warlords, Spies, and the
History of the International Drug Trade
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929:(in Chinese). Vol. 34. Committee of Local History in Sichuan Province. 2001.
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to start his new business, and then reportedly earned nine times that amount.
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The
Chinese and Opium under the Republic: Worse than Floods and Wild Beasts
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In Chinese: 至此,我多年来 ... 只不过是昙花一现,虽以"胜利"始,却以彻底失败终,结果是 随同国民党政府的覆灭而全部垮台。
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199:
174:
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333:-raised Wang Zhengping (王政平), who went on to found his own cartel.
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Poppies and Politics in China: Sichuan Province, 1840s to 1940s
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At the height, Zeng was taking in more than a hundred thousand
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and Shi Zhuxuan (石竹轩), Zeng was able to pool together 300,000
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and expressed dismay at its defeat in the civil war against
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291:
His stint in the salt industry ended after three decades.
701:"四川鸦片大王曾俊臣 [East Sichuan's Opium King – Zeng Junchen"
617:
615:
563:
561:
559:
557:
501:"四川"烟王"曾俊臣 [Sichuan's opium king, Zeng Junchen]"
438:
324:. His wealth enabled him to purchase various plots of
906:民国烟赌娼 [Republic of drugs, gambling, and vice]
671:
669:
120:
Chairman of the Chongqing Salt Merchants' Association
791:重庆歌乐山陪都遗址 [Monuments of Geleshan, Chongqing]
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853:旧中国黑社会秘史 [Accounts of old China's triads]
369:Zeng's estimated earnings of five to six million
877:(in Chinese). Jiangsu Historical Publishing.
856:(in Chinese). Vol. 3. Economical Times.
8:
362:, China, at age 76. His former residence in
117:Chairman of the Special Business Association
794:(in Chinese). University of Sichuan Press.
814:(in Chinese). Chongqing Publishing. 1997.
35:
898:(in Chinese). Vol. 5. Chinese Books.
811:重庆市市中区志 [Chongqing City District]
567:
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895:民國人物傳 [Biographies of Chinese]
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493:
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874:民国黑社会 [Triad of the Republic]
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244:Zeng was born on 6 September 1888 in
16:Chinese businessman and opium kingpin
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687:
633:
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343:Five Years In The "Special Business"
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236:is now listed as a local monument.
158:; 6 September 1888 – 6 July 1964),
926:四川省志: 人物志 [Sichuan people]
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621:
459:
14:
944:Weiyuan County Committee (1994).
208:), was a Chinese businessman and
958:烟毒的历史 [History of Opium]
731:. University of Delaware Press.
46:
537:Committee of Local History 2001
272:at the age of 9, and became a
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170:
154:
1:
947:威远县志 [Weiyuan County]
439:Weiyuan County Committee 1994
375:Poppies and Politics in China
232:. Zeng's former residence in
909:(in Chinese). Cultural Era.
252:, China; his birth name was
1011:Businesspeople from Sichuan
1027:
773:. Rowman and Littlefield.
703:. Chengdu. 21 January 2014
18:
503:. SCJN News. 30 June 2013
479:Chongqing Publishing 1997
293:Salt taxes hit a new high
261:
195:
145:
45:
1001:Chinese drug traffickers
401:East Asian age reckoning
767:Meyer, Kathryn (2002).
746:Baumler, Adam (2008).
725:Li, Xiaoxiong (2009).
114:Head of Shu Yi Tobacco
903:Wang, Hongyu (1993).
788:Liao, Qingyu (2005).
240:Early life and career
996:People from Neijiang
950:(in Chinese). Bashu.
850:Zheng, Gang (1998).
337:Retirement and death
216:. Starting off as a
961:. Chinese History.
624:, pp. 139–141.
832:毒祸 [Drugs]
829:Wen, Fang (2004).
264:). He also had an
234:Shapingba District
1006:Chinese merchants
955:Xian, Bo (2005).
835:. China History.
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69:6 September 1888
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752:. Suny Press.
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719:Bibliography
705:. Retrieved
695:
683:
656:
629:
609:, p. 2.
602:
582:, p. 5.
575:
568:Baumler 2008
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517:
505:. Retrieved
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218:restaurateur
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155:Zēng Jùnchén
153:
138:Zeng Junchen
137:
136:
86:(1964-07-06)
59:Zeng Chenxun
40:Zeng Junchen
28:
21:Chinese name
991:1964 deaths
986:1888 births
707:15 February
507:10 February
311:Xu Yuanquan
108:Occupations
84:6 July 1964
25:family name
980:Categories
936:7220035144
916:7538706585
549:Zheng 1998
522:Meyer 2002
420:References
355:Mao Zedong
351:Kuomintang
307:Xia Douyin
65:1888-09-06
688:Liao 2005
634:Xian 2005
607:Wang 1993
580:Wang 1993
382:Citations
364:Shapingba
360:Chongqing
230:Chongqing
92:Chongqing
676:Wen 2004
661:Wen 2004
595:Wen 2004
331:Jiangjin
326:farmland
266:art name
205:Zhèngrán
188:Zhengran
185:art name
19:In this
649:Wu 1996
622:Li 2009
460:Li 1985
286:catties
258:Chinese
254:Chenxun
250:Sichuan
214:Sichuan
192:Chinese
167:Chinese
142:Chinese
94:, China
75:, China
73:Sichuan
965:
933:
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881:
860:
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798:
777:
756:
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278:Luzhou
260::
202::
200:pinyin
194::
180:Yún'ān
177::
175:pinyin
169::
163:Yun'an
152::
150:pinyin
144::
128:Spouse
103:Yun'an
23:, the
387:Notes
349:-led
282:Hubei
226:opium
212:from
963:ISBN
931:ISBN
911:ISBN
879:ISBN
858:ISBN
837:ISBN
816:ISBN
796:ISBN
775:ISBN
754:ISBN
733:ISBN
709:2016
509:2016
371:yuan
318:yuan
299:yuan
222:salt
220:and
81:Died
55:Born
30:Zeng
183:),
146:曾俊臣
27:is
982::
668:^
641:^
614:^
587:^
556:^
529:^
486:^
467:^
446:^
427:^
309:,
262:臣勋
248:,
198:;
196:正然
173:;
171:云安
148:;
971:.
939:.
919:.
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256:(
190:(
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63:(
33:.
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