Hu Xueyan
| Hu Xueyan | |||||||||
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Photograph of Hu Xueyan | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 胡雪巖 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 胡雪岩 | ||||||||
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| Hu Guangyong | |||||||||
| Chinese | 胡光墉 | ||||||||
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Hu Guangyong (1823–1885), better known by his courtesy name Xueyan, was a businessman in China during the latter Qing dynasty. He was active in banking, real estate, shipping and Chinese medicine. He was involved in the salt, tea, clothing, grain as well as the arms trade.
Hu was the only person of the merchant class in the Qing dynasty to be awarded a red-topped hat, a rank indicating an officer of second grade (二品; Èr pǐn) by the Qing imperial court. He was also one of the few people given express permission by Empress Dowager Cixi to ride a horse in the Forbidden City.