Shen Wansan (the years of birth and death unknown), whose original given name was Fu and also Xiu, was styled Zhongrong. The reason why people called him Shen Wansan was that he was the third son in the family and in his days, a very rich person was referred to as “nabobism” (Wan Hu). Shen’s ancestral home was in Huzhou Street in Wuxing County of Nanxun Town (under the jurisdiction of Zhejiang Province today). During the Zhishun period of the Yuan Dynasty (1330—1331), Shen Wansan, with his father Shen Youxi, moved to Dongcai Village in Changzhou County under the Prefecture of Pingjiang (today’s Dongcha of Zhouzhuang in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province). He rose in life by engaging himself in agricultural cultivation, and aimed to achieve prosperity via doing business. Later Shen built up his marine shipping business and vigorously developed overseas trade by taking the geographical advantage of Baixian River (also known as Dongjiang River) which connected the Grand Canal in the west, flew into Liuhe River in the east and finally joined the Yangtze River to run into the sea. These businesses enabled Shen to become the richest person of his times in the southern area of the Yangtze River. He once supported the regime of Zhang Shicheng and helped to establish its capital in Suzhou at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. In the early Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, known as Emperor Taizu, ordered that Shen Wansan provide funds for the construction of city walls as well as affiliated houses, streets, bridges, water gates and official residences, etc. Shen even voluntarily offered one million taels of silver to reward armies. Greatly angered by such a practice, Zhu Yuanzhang intended to execute Shen with the charge of rebellion, since a civilian could not reward the emperor’s armies. Fortunately, Empress Ma made an admonition and Shen was thus saved. In the 6th year of Emperor Hongwu’s reign (1373), Shen’s wealth and property were counted and confiscated and then the family was exiled to Yunnan. After his death, Shen Wansan’s tomb was transferred to Zhouzhuang.
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