Traditional Chinese accounts contain many stories in which people escaped serious disasters because of their moral conduct. Among them are several tales about merchants whose honesty was said to have protected their homes, businesses, and families from devastating fires.
One such account concerns a fire that broke out in Yangzhou in 1846, during the Qing Dynasty.
At the time, the area around Yuanmen Bridge was one of the city’s busiest commercial districts. Restaurants and shops lined the streets, which were crowded each day with merchants, customers, and travelers.
One day, a catastrophic fire swept through the district. The flames spread rapidly, reducing many large buildings and storefronts to ashes. Yet amid the ruins, one general store remained completely untouched.
Nothing around the shop appeared capable of shielding it. According to the account, people saw numerous black flags appear above its roof just as the flames approached. The flags seemed to form a barrier that prevented the fire from reaching the building.
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