Calling herself the “Wall Street Goddess,” Chen Li-ting (陳莉婷) allegedly helped her mother, surnamed Hu (胡), kill her aunt.
It appears very likely that they will be accused of attempted murder, and did so to obtain the aunt’s property, worth billions of New Taiwan dollars, in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義).
The unfortunate incident reminds me of what the late Chi Mei Corp founder Shi Wen-long (許文龍) said: “Money is there for spending, not for sitting in a bank.” Chen and her mother are not poor and they have their own house.
Why would they still insist on taking other people’s property by force? Regrettably, the case of the “Wall Street Goddess” and her mother is not unusual, neither is it the most serious.
If a person wants to grab money, power and status all at once, it would not only destroy their family, but also lead to the ultimate destruction of a dynasty.
EMPEROR WEN
Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty and his wife, Dugu Qieluo (獨孤伽羅), serve as an example. Throughout their lives, they tried to accumulate as much wealth as they could.
However, the Sui Dynasty came to an end after only two generations, despite the great wealth that the imperial family had amassed.
The Sui Dynasty was followed by the Tang Dynasty. One of the most successful Tang rulers, Emperor Taizong (唐太宗), criticized Emperor Wen for failing to take care of his people while cherishing his wealth too much. In other words, Emperor Wen strove to save money, but did not know how to use the resources effectively.
Yang Guan (楊廣), the Prince of Jin (晉王) — the son of Emperor Wen and Dugu Qieluo — knew that his parents valued frugality and detested extravagance.
Therefore, when his parents visited him, the prince deliberately displayed dusty, broken musical instruments around the house (in stark contrast to Shi’s magnificent repository of violins).
EMPEROR YANG
Emperor Wen and Dugu Qieluo were extremely pleased with their son, and as a result, the Prince of Jin succeeded to the throne as Emperor Yang.
He inherited a great fortune from his parents, but Yang had no idea how to these resources to good use. He spent the fortune recklessly and before long, the Sui Dynasty fell.
Shi put his money into enhancing the quality of life. Based on this principle, he made a greater contribution to society. Tainan’s Chimei Museum holds Shi’s world-class collection of stringed instruments.
The exhibition confirms that human beings can achieve spiritual fulfilment after their physical needs are met.
If a rich person has no intention of achieving a high quality of life, his property would only become toxic. The money would either entice him to accumulate more wealth, as demonstrated by the case of the “Wall Street Goddess” and her mother, or to crave more power, as exemplified by Emperor Yang, whose virtue was not worthy of the position.
Eventually, Emperor Yang made the people’s life miserable and the Sui Dynasty soon fell.
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER
US billionaire John D. Rockefeller once said: “If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.”
Hopefully, more people of Shi’s caliber arise in Taiwan. We do not need another “Wall Street Goddess,” nor do we need another Emperor Yang.
Chang Jim-way is a junior-high school teacher.
Translated by Emma Liu
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