Two centuries ago, the richest man on Earth was a Chinese merchant who made his fortune through international trade. Not linked to an emperor or a warlord, Wu Bingjian, known to the West as Howqua, built his wealth through integrity and vision. During the Qing dynasty’s first encounters with Western powers, Wu amassed great fortune and established China’s first multinational conglomerate. When a trade war erupted between China and the West, Wu twice helped rescue the Qing government and shaped the outcome of China’s first trade war. From the Canton trading system to the Opium conflict, his story still echoes in today’s U.S.–China tensions and trade wars.
