The rise of commerce originated in the pre-Qin period.
China people learned to do business very early, while Shang people were good at it. After the business of Shang Dynasty was destroyed in Zhou Wuwang, the adherents ran around doing business in order to make a living. After a long time, they formed a permanent career. Zhou called them "businessmen" and called their profession "business". This semester has continued to this day. The money used by Shang people was shellfish, including seashells, bone shells, stone shells, jade shells and copper shells. The appearance of copper shell shows that there was a metal casting currency in Shang Dynasty. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, commerce became an indispensable social and economic sector. At that time, under the system of "industrial and commercial food officials", commerce was monopolized by the state. Shellfish is still the main currency in commercial exchange, but copper is also used as a means of exchange. Copper itself is an important commodity, and it also bears the function of money, and later developed into casting copper coins. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the situation of government controlling commerce was broken, and many commodity markets and big businessmen appeared in various places. Famous businessmen in the Spring and Autumn Period included Gao and Zi Gong, disciples of Confucius. The famous merchants in the Warring States Period were Bai Gui and Lv Buwei of Wei. During the Warring States period, the types and shapes of copper coins cast and circulated in various countries increased, some imitated farm tools, some imitated various tools, and some imitated the shape of shells. The amount and variety of money reflect that commerce is more developed than in the past. The development of commodity exchange has promoted the prosperity of the city.
The Preliminary Development of Commerce in Qin and Han Dynasties
After Qin Shihuang unified China, in order to change the status quo of different currencies, degrees (lengths), volumes (volumes) and scales (weights) during the Warring States period, he decided to unify the currency, and the round square hole money originally circulated in Qin Dynasty was used as the national standard currency, commonly known as "Qin Banliang". He also returned to unified measurement and built the equator. These measures are conducive to the development of commerce and the reunification of the country. Especially the unified currency, has a far-reaching impact on future generations. Since then, most feudal dynasties have mastered the right to coin money, and the shape of money has always maintained a circular square hole pattern similar to "Qin Banliang". In the Han Dynasty, with the formation and consolidation of the unified situation, the development of agriculture, animal husbandry and handicrafts, especially the policy of "opening the light and closing the beam, closing the Songshan mountain" implemented by the Han government, the commerce was initially developed. At that time, the capitals Chang 'an and Luoyang, as well as Handan, Huiji, Wan (Nanyang), Chengdu and other big cities all developed into famous commercial centers. Every city has a "city" that specializes in trade. Chang 'an has two cities, east and west, and later developed into nine cities. At that time, the government adopted a policy of strictly restricting urban commercial activities. Urban areas and residential areas are strictly separated and surrounded by walls. There are shops selling goods in the city, and the government has full-time officials, city orders or mayors to manage them. The market opens and closes on time, and shall not engage in business activities after closing. Prices in this city are also managed by officials.
Different from the past, the Han Dynasty opened two Silk Roads on land and at sea, and Chinese and foreign trade gradually developed. After Zhang Qian passed through the Western Regions, the Silk Road was opened on land, starting from Chang 'an, passing through Hexi Corridor, leaving Yumenguan or Yangguan, and then entering Central Asia and West Asia through today's Xinjiang. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it opened up water transportation lines with South China Sea countries and Indian Peninsula for regular trade. This is the Maritime Silk Road. The opening of the two Silk Roads is conducive to the development of Chinese and foreign trade.
Sui and Tang dynasties business
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, in addition to Chang 'an and Luoyang in the Yellow River valley, Yuezhou and Hongzhou in the southeast coast also became prosperous commercial cities. In the Tang Dynasty, Chang 'an had squares and cities. There are two cities, East City and West City. The city and the square are separated by walls, and the market opens and closes regularly during the day. The East City and the West City each occupy two squares, each with 220 lines. There are more than a thousand mansions in the East City, and there are many merchants. The Tang government allowed foreign businessmen to trade freely in China, and Hu merchants were all over the metropolis. There are western regions, Persia and big food merchants in the western market, and "Hu Feng" and "Hu Custom" are popular. Chang 'an City has a population of no less than one million, and the demand for goods by such a huge population has caused the prosperity of Chang 'an City. Rural fairs have also been further developed. Especially near the main roads of land and water transportation, there are more and more fairs, and some of them have developed into important towns.
Foreign trade continued to develop during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the Silk Road on land was unimpeded, and there was a busy scene of endless business trips. After the Anshi Rebellion, the focus of foreign commercial traffic shifted from northwest land to southeast sea channel. Yuezhou is the largest foreign trade port in southeast China and a gathering place for foreign merchant ships. The Tang government had a city ambassador here, who was in charge of foreign trade.
Commercial prosperity in song dynasty
It is based on the fact that since the late Tang Dynasty, the system of strict market segmentation has been broken, and the time for commodity trading is no longer restricted. The commercial prosperity in the Song Dynasty was all-round, with not only a wide variety of goods, but also domestic trade, border trade and foreign trade. The prosperity of business has had an important impact. The Yuan Dynasty realized the unprecedented unification of the country and promoted the sustained prosperity of commerce. (1) Reasons for commercial prosperity in Song Dynasty
The commerce in Song Dynasty was unprecedentedly prosperous. First of all, after the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, the separatist regime of the five dynasties and ten countries in the late Tang Dynasty was eliminated, the social economy developed normally, and the agriculture and handicraft industry developed highly, which provided a solid material foundation for the prosperity of commerce. Secondly, the government gradually relaxed the restrictions on commodity trading. Since the late Tang Dynasty, the strict separation of shops has been gradually broken. In the Song Dynasty, shops could be opened everywhere, and the trading hours were changed from Japanese to China, so they could be operated in the morning and evening. Third, although metal money was still used in the market in the Song Dynasty, in the Northern Song Dynasty, wealthy businessmen in Yizhou, Sichuan Province began to issue paper money "Jiaozi", which was the earliest paper money in the world. Later, the government set up jiaozi Service Office in Yizhou, which was responsible for printing and distributing jiaozi. In the Southern Song Dynasty, paper money was widely used and its circulation increased greatly. The issuance and use of paper money facilitates commercial activities and promotes commercial prosperity. Fourth, the land and water transportation in Song Dynasty was convenient, especially the smooth maritime Silk Road, which was beneficial to the development of foreign trade.
(2) Commercial prosperity in Song Dynasty.
The prosperity of commerce in the Song Dynasty was first manifested in the prosperity of urban commerce. Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, and Shaoxing, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, were the first cities to prosper. Kaifeng has become increasingly prosperous since the Five Dynasties, and by the time of the Northern Song Dynasty, it had developed into a mega-city with a population of over one million in the world, with unprecedented commercial prosperity. There are both bustling commercial blocks and professional trading places in the city. The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival by Zhang Zeduan, a painter in the Northern Song Dynasty, vividly reflects the prosperous commercial scene in Kaifeng. Lin 'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, had a population of one million in its heyday, replacing Kaifeng as the largest city in the world at that time. There are many shops in the city, and the trade is booming. The morning market and night market are connected day and night, and restaurants, teahouses and tiled houses are dotted around. The variety of goods has increased, and various types of fairs have appeared. Many agricultural and sideline products and handicrafts began to turn to the market and become important commodities. For example, the surplus grain of farmers in Su Hu and the bamboo and wood products made by southern artisans have become commodities. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the variety of goods increased, and businessmen paid attention to the packaging of goods and also paid attention to advertising their own goods. The popular proverb "Su Hu is ripe, and the world is enough" in the Southern Song Dynasty shows that the surplus grain of farmers in Su Hu has become an important commodity. There are also different types of markets in cities, formal and informal, professional and seasonal. Business tax revenue is increasingly becoming an important source of government revenue.
During the Song Dynasty, border trade flourished. The Northern Song Dynasty confronted Liao and Xixia, and the Southern Song Dynasty confronted Jin. In the Song Dynasty, the border areas adjacent to Liao, Xixia and Jin were set up to conduct bilateral trade and exchange needed goods, which was quite profitable.
During the Song Dynasty, overseas trade was developed. The Maritime Silk Road was unimpeded in the Song Dynasty, and the government paid special attention to overseas trade. In this way, overseas trade has developed. During the Northern Song Dynasty, dozens of countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Arabian Peninsula and even Africa traded with China. During the Southern Song Dynasty, overseas trade developed further, and foreign trade tax became one of the important sources of treasury wealth.
Business continued to prosper in the Yuan Dynasty.
The Yuan Dynasty achieved unprecedented national unity and laid the foundation for further economic development. Dredge the Grand Canal again, and the dredged Grand Canal will go directly from Hangzhou to Dadu. Opened up the sea, starting from Liujiagang at the mouth of the Yangtze River and reaching zhi gu (Tianjin) via the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea; The government of the Yuan Dynasty also set up post stations all over the country, and the overland Silk Road across Europe and Asia flourished again, which promoted the sustained prosperity of commerce in the Yuan Dynasty.
The Yuan Dynasty was a political and cultural center for most of the time, and it was also a prosperous international commercial metropolis. Caravans came to metropolis from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, African coast, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. There are more than 30 markets in the city, with 10 million households. All kinds of goods at home and abroad are gathered here in an endless stream. "A lot of things are input, just like a hundred rivers." It is said that thousands of cars are brought into this city every day. Shaoxing is the largest commercial and handicraft center in the south. "No one can tell the huge trade." Quanzhou was an important port for foreign trade in the Yuan Dynasty. There were often more than 100 seagoing ships moored here, and it was praised as the largest port in the world by foreign travelers. The Yuan government set up a city shipping company here to strictly control foreign trade.
Huizhou Merchants and Shanxi Merchants in Ming and Qing Dynasties
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the relationship between small-scale peasant economy and market became increasingly close, and the commercialization of agricultural products developed. The urban economy has developed with unprecedented prosperity, and many big cities and rural markets are very prosperous. Among them, Beijing and Nanjing are national commercial cities, bringing together specialties from all directions. Across the country, there have been many regional merchant groups, called business gangs, among which Huizhou merchants and Shanxi merchants have the largest number and the strongest strength.
(1) Huizhou merchants
Huizhou merchants are merchants in Huizhou. Huizhou has a tradition of doing business. Huizhou people are United, pay attention to mutual assistance and advocate thrift. After hundreds of years of operation, Huizhou merchants have accumulated amazing wealth. Huizhou merchants almost "live without goods" and have a wide range of business, but "First Fish Salt" pays special attention to the management of salt. The rise of Huizhou merchants began with the management of salt. Salt production in Ming Dynasty was monopolized by the government. In order to solve the problem of insufficient wages of border guards, the Ming government allowed businessmen to transport food to designated border areas for payment, and then gave them the right to sell salt. Huizhou is far away from the border defense, and Huizhou merchants did not have an advantage in salt management at first. However, after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming government changed the grain to silver, and Huizhou merchants made a fortune by investing in salt industry. After accumulating commercial capital, Huizhou merchants expanded their business scope and engaged in tea, wood, grain and other industries all over the country. There is a folk proverb "No town without emblem". They have also left footprints in overseas countries, and there is a saying that "Huizhou merchants are everywhere". Huizhou merchants rely on abundant commercial capital to manage bulk commodities and long-distance trafficking; And intervene in the production field, dominate the production activities of some craftsmen; It also operates financial industries such as pawn, with high profits. Huizhou merchants flourished for hundreds of years from the beginning of the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, and there were wealthy businessmen with assets of one million or even ten million.
(2) Shanxi merchants
Shanxi merchants are Shanxi merchants. They were another big business gang in China in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which was as famous as Huizhou merchants. Their rise and development process is exactly the same as that of Huizhou merchants. The rise of Shanxi merchants is also the management of salt industry. In the early Ming Dynasty, Shanxi merchants took advantage of the land to connect with the northern frontier defense, delivered rations for the government, obtained the right to sell salt, and became rich in salt industry and became rich salt merchants. After accumulating huge commercial capital, they gradually expanded their business scope and sold silk, iron, tea, cotton and wood. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shanxi merchants began to set up financial institutions to handle deposits, loans, remittances and other businesses, and they could also act as agents for the government. After long-term operation and accumulation, the financial resources of Shanxi merchants have been growing. By the Qing dynasty, there were countless millionaires, and the assets of the first Fukang of Shanxi merchants reached tens of millions. Shanxi merchants have a wide range of activities, and many even go abroad to do business in Japan, Southeast Asia, Russia and other places.