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The Fan Li Temple is located in Yuecheng district, Shaoxing. [Photo/Yan Peiyu for Tide News]

The Fan Li Temple officially opened its doors to visitors in Yuecheng district, Shaoxing, on Jan 1. This event signifies the establishment of Fan Li's cultural heritage in the city.

Over 300 people from various sectors of society attended the opening ceremony, where they offered incense, prayed for blessings, and paid homage to Fan (536-448 BC).

Fan was an early Chinese commercial theorist, later honored as the "Sage of Commerce". Despite his humble beginnings, Fan was a polymath, excelling in both civil and military affairs.

He assisted Gou Jian, the King of Yue, in revitalizing the Yue state (whose capital was approximately in today's Shaoxing), ultimately leading to the defeat of the Wu state and the establishment of Yue's dominance.

Following his success, Fan was appointed as a senior general. After achieving fame and fortune, he chose to retire and engage in commerce, amassing great wealth three times and dispersing it three times.

His life of entrepreneurial hardship, repeated wealth accumulation, and generous philanthropy, combined with his disdain for fame and fortune, earned him posthumous reverence as the God of Wealth, the Sage of Commerce, and the Ancestor of Merchants. Many business people honor his statues and portraits to this day.