In fact, there are indeed many families whose wealth has not been passed down for more than three generations.
Then, why is there a phenomenon of "being rich for three generations"?
I recently read a book written by Professor Zhang Hongjie from the School of History of Renmin University of China, the title of which is Bad Rules.
In this book, he explained the folk view that "three generations are not rich" as follows:
However, the wealth of the "rich but not rich three generations" families in Zhang Hongjie is basically obtained through business, and their wealth lacks the protection of rights.
Therefore, if wealth wants to circulate in a family for a long time, the owner of wealth will try his best to make future generations become officials and senior officials.
There is an old saying that "no one under three generations can get rich without being an official", which just illustrates this truth.
In my opinion, wealth cannot circulate in a family for a long time. The reason why wealth can't circulate continuously lies in the source of wealth and the education of future generations, in addition to the lack of "rights protection".
Those hard-won wealth, as well as wealth obtained through improper means, are doomed to be short-lived, and this is fate.
For example, those who won huge wealth through lottery tickets soon became as silent as a mirage, and some even brought family changes and disasters.
But there are also examples of huge wealth handed down from generation to generation, which have existed for hundreds of years like a dynasty.
In Gongyi, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, I visited a rich manor-Kang Million Manor.
The Kang family once received Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu who left Beijing to escape from Eight-Nation Alliance. Wealth has been circulating in this family for more than 400 years.
Kang Million Manor has a "plaque". Several generations of Kang family have been adhering to the concept of "legacy", and the elders set an example to guide generations of family descendants not only to be diligent but also to leave room for others to do things.
Influenced by the subtle influence, the descendants of the Kang family not only work diligently for others, but also pay special attention to the cultivation and education of future generations, respecting teachers and respecting morality.
So the wealth of the Kang family can be circulated in the family for 400 years.
On the other hand, those families whose wealth is easy to come by have problems with their own integrity and quality. In addition, bad examples and words have many negative effects on future generations, and the education of children is also illegal. It is inevitable that wealth will soon decrease in future generations.
On the other hand, Guo Jingjing, who married into a rich family, not only lived a simple life, but also had a positive impact on her husband Huo and three children. How can this family make wealth a thing of the past?
In modern society, more and more people have become rich second generation. They received a good education and caught up with the good times. It is inevitable that wealth will be passed down from generation to generation in their hands.
I think that the saying that "three generations are not rich" may gradually become history and legend.