世家沦沉

常言道
福无过三
运可跨越
沉沦始于三
康熙定江平藩
雍正整吏财康
弘历好喜成伤
可怜嘉庆啊
称帝便吃不保暖
朱家中期王爷累
清朝后百八旗废
沉沦祸根何处寻
世族二字就是云
宝剑火锤炼
宝玉雕磨件
家族子孙生在堂
武火不提文火荡
清爽温风草莓族
各不成才只成猪
但为宗亲赐爵位
何有道理不成亏
— 20/11/19

Commentary: A couple of sightings and events recently made me think of a Chinese saying, “Wealth does not go beyond three generations” (富不过三代). I wonder why this is the case and is there anyway to avoid it?

In Qing dynasty, Emperor Kang Xi consolidated power and firm up the borders. Emperor Yong Zheng reformed officialdom and got finances in order. But Qing Dynasty started decline during the reign of Emperor Qian Long. By the time, Emperor Jia Qing came to throne; poor guy, he is faced with the start of a declining empire leading up to the First Opium War. Tax revenue can barely support the privileges of the royal descendants by the second half of Ming Dynasty while the core military of Qing dynasty was pretty much rotten during its last century.

Re-examining history, the conclusion I drew is that family fortunes fail because of family. Descendants of those rich families are given managerial roles and directorships without proving their capabilities in the external world. They had never been tried by fire; the kind that empire builders, their own forefathers, had gone through. Most of them cannot even withstand flickering flames. And yet, they enjoy the luxuries without being able to pay for those luxuries. How not to decline?