All the main actors are played by real people. This is not a commercial entertainment blockbuster, nor is it a classic Hollywood musical, but this film is famous in the United States and even overseas. , attracting a large audience, it is a documentary that exposes the current situation of society.

Judging from the title of this documentary "National Treasure Bank: Small enough to go to jail", some viewers may be confused, what does "small enough to go to jail" mean?

2008 There is a keyword in the U.S. financial crisis called "Too Big to Fail", which refers to the fact that the large U.S. financial institutions that caused the crisis due to the excessive issuance of subprime housing loans are too big to fail. In fact, after the crisis, no major financial institution or individual took legal responsibility for that crisis. As opposed to "Big Enough to Fail", the documentary is titled "Small Enough to Jail".

There is a keyword in the 2008 U.S. financial crisis called "Too Big to Fail", which refers to the fact that the large U.S. financial institutions that caused the crisis due to the excessive issuance of housing subprime loans were too big to fail. collapse. In fact, after the crisis, no major financial institution or individual took legal responsibility for that crisis. As opposed to "Big Enough to Fail", the documentary is titled "Small Enough to Jail".

The financial crisis swept across the United States

The financial crisis swept across the United States

Today, I will take you to the National Treasure Bank and listen to the founder Son Kai-shing's thoughts on the film and how he battled through tough times.

The protagonist Sun Qicheng’s childhood was accompanied by continuous wars of war against Japan. He witnessed Japanese planes bombing urban areas indiscriminately and killing countless people. The great national hatred was left in his childish heart. Deep imprint.

I immigrated to the United States with my family at the age of 16. Like all people who have just gone abroad, the first stop was Chinatown.

The strong Asian atmosphere in New York's Chinatown made him feel at home. Here he could maintain his lifestyle in China, get a haircut in a Shanghai barber shop, speak a few dialects, and find a Hong Kong-style tea restaurant. Eat a bowl of authentic wonton noodles.

"I want to be a part of this place," he said.

Sun Qicheng’s family took a group photo with director Steve James

Chinatown is the first stop for every Chinese to embark on a foreign land. Now, it has long become the home of new immigrants’ foreign feelings. It has also become a famous tourist attraction, with an endless stream of Chinese faces, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Shanghai cuisine with a hometown flavor...familiar Shanghainese, Northeastern dialect, Cantonese accent...

New York Chinatown

In Chinatown at that time, there were many uncultured and unskilled Chinese "black households" living in Chinatown. They lacked survival skills and were unwilling to leave Chinatown. Sun Qicheng Introduction, and did not want to speak English. This made them unwilling to go to the mainstream of the United States. Big banks.

New York Chinatown

In life, they were fined $1,000 because their vegetable stall was a few centimeters beyond the road. Because they could not find a suitable job, they set up a stall in front of a supermarket to mend shoes.

From now on, she never dared to do it again!

Many people live like "rats waiting to be caught" every day, living a life of survival.

Sun Qicheng has long regarded Chinatown as his home. He has seen and remembered all this, and the voice of doing something for the Chinese has been echoing in his heart.

Sun Qicheng completed all his high school, university, graduate and doctoral education in the United States. In college, he studied economic accounting, a master's degree in economics, and a doctorate in law. Such general knowledge was rare not only among Chinese at the time, but also among Americans.

University graduate Sun Qicheng

After receiving his doctorate in law in 1964, Sun Qicheng founded his own law firm, specializing in solving problems for compatriots in the Chinese community in New York.

Barrister Sun Qicheng

At first, Sun Qicheng wanted to give full play to what he had learned and solve legal difficulties for his compatriots. However, after contacting a large number of clients, he discovered something A more difficult problem: Many residents in the Chinese community are mostly engaged in small businesses, such as tailors, manicures, porters, butcher shop assistants, etc. The salary is usually paid once a day, or once a week. This makes it difficult for them to apply for a mortgage loan, because banks require customers to provide convincing proof of income sources before they can lend.

This makes it difficult for them to settle down and start a business in the United States. difficulties.

At the age of 49, Sun Qicheng opened a bank and named it Abacus, which means "National Treasure Bank".

Abacus, meaning abacus, is one of the treasures of China’s 5,000-year-old culture. This is also the reason why Sun Qicheng’s National Treasure Bank got its name. “Use my abacus to benefit my compatriots...”

Sun Qicheng said that the purpose of his National Treasure Bank is to enable his compatriots to get loans, afford houses, and live with dignity in a foreign country.

" For us Chinese abroad, unity should be something that is in our blood."

"National Treasure Bank" ribbon cutting

After 20 years of unremitting efforts, we have helped one Chinese family in New York after another. The new life also made this Chinese-owned bank famous in the United States. Later, including Peter McGinn, the owner of New York's famous skyscraper: the Empire State Building, they were all customers of National Treasure Bank.

In 2008, the subprime mortgage crisis broke out in the United States. After the crisis, the U.S. government, which hurriedly took over, decided to embezzle $700 billion in taxpayers' taxes to fill the shortfall in order to restore the collapse of the U.S. economic order. Although the culprits of the subprime mortgage crisis were Wall Street financial institutions, those large banks and securities firms that received government funding had reasons for being "too big to fail."

The US government, which was riding a tiger and unable to get off, used National Treasure Bank, a small bank ranked two thousandths away, as the scapegoat for the entire financial crisis.

What’s even more absurd is that, as the title of the film says, “National Treasure Bank: Small enough to go to jail,” even though the average bad debt rate for mortgage loans in the United States reaches 5, National Treasure has less than 0.5.

But this community bank in New York’s Chinatown, founded by Chinese immigrants, was put in the dock by Manhattan prosecutors and became the only financial institution criminally prosecuted by the U.S. government.

The documentary explains that first of all, among the 3,000 loans sold to Fannie Mae by Guobao Bank, only 9 defaulted; the default rate of 0.5 is far lower than the national average of 5, and it is unlikely to become a trigger for factors of the loan crisis. Secondly, Fannie Mae not only did not suffer losses through the purchase of National Treasure Bank's loans, but actually gained. Once again, the employee involved was at a low level, and the bank could not benefit from his operations, so there was no regular or systematic fraud in the bank.

Those American banks that were too big to fail were not found guilty of a single crime, while the small national treasure bank was convicted of a total of 182 crimes!

The American police went to the bank to arrest people. The scene was shocking!

During the arrest process, the District Attorney’s Office actually handcuffed the Chinese employees together. They were strung together, lined up with their heads held in their hands, and chased with flashlights, as if they were being "paraded through the streets."

"I have been a prosecutor and I will never be merciful to crimes, but I have never seen anything like this. These people were humiliated in public. It was absolutely intentional and completely without justification." The defense attorney said so.

Faced with this scene of unbearable treatment, Sun Qicheng’s youngest daughter, who was working in the District Attorney’s Office at the time, resigned angrily. She no longer believed in the justice and fairness of the American government, but saw their incompetence and Arrogant, all this completely disappointed her.

Under the circumstances at the time, if Sun Qicheng chose to compromise and plead guilty, he would probably have to pay a fine of US$6 million to settle the matter. After all, even major international banks are unwilling to conflict head-on with political institutions.

But faced with such great humiliation and intimidating authority, Sun Qicheng chose a difficult path: no matter what the price, he would get to the bottom of the lawsuit! This is not only for the innocence of Guobao Bank, but also for the honor of the Chinese community!

But faced with this choice, he firmly refused!

This is a country exerting power!

This is a great shame!

I can’t let the Chinese face be disgraced!

I also want to give myself some dignity!

In this way, Sun Qicheng decided to take back fairness and justice no matter what the cost!

"We Chinese are also clean abroad! We will never admit what we have not done!"

At this time, the good education the family has received is their most powerful weapons! Sun Qicheng has four daughters in his family. He is a lawyer. His family members range from prosecutors to doctors to bankers and legal experts... They are very familiar with American politics, finance, and law!

In this way, the "war" between a Chinese family and a country's Communist Party began!

From left: Sun Yizhen, Sun Yilin, Sun Yifen, Zeng Huilin, Sun Qicheng, Sun Yiwen

"During that time, what supported us was the familiar Chinatown"

"The kind old neighbors gave us the greatest support"

The neighbors in Chinatown also appeared in the film to support the struggle between National Treasure Bank and ***

"We run to the I asked for a Chinese meal in the restaurant and sat there all day discussing the case."

"I hope the Chinese people will be given a clean slate!"

The neighbors in Chinatown also appeared in the film to show their support. Guobao Bank fought against ***

For five years, Sun Qicheng, an outstanding Chinese banker, used his persistence and the support of his daughter, wife, and all local Chinese to spend $10 million. , won the lawsuit with the American ***!

None of the 182 charges were found guilty!

The ending was hard-won, and I even had tears in my eyes when I finished typing this! Sun Qicheng can be called the backbone of the Chinese people!

This is a hard-won victory, this is a victory for overseas Chinese, and this is a victory for the descendants of Yan and Huang!

The Americans made it into a documentary, allowing the world to see what a great struggle the real overseas Chinese have made for dignity.

This dignity is our own Earn it for yourself!

I would like to write this article to pay tribute to the Chinese people who are fighting unyieldingly and surviving overseas without being humble or arrogant!