1, Shang Yexing began in the pre-Qin period.

China people learned to do business very early. People in Shang Dynasty were famous for being good at doing business, so later generations called business people "businessmen". People in Shang dynasty used shells, bone shells, stone shells, jade shells and copper shells in commodity exchange. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, commerce was controlled by the government. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the government's control over commerce was broken, and many commodity markets and businessmen appeared everywhere. Big businessmen with abundant capital shuttled between countries. After Fan Li assisted Gou Jian, the king of Yue, to destroy Wu, he abandoned his official position and joined Tao, calling him. He became rich by doing business. In nineteen years, she became a daughter three times and was honored as the founder by later businessmen. The development of commodity exchange has promoted the prosperity of the city.

2. The preliminary development of commerce in Qin and Han Dynasties.

Qin Shihuang unified currency, weights and measures, and built the equator, which was beneficial to the development of commerce. Dajia, a wealthy businessman, became popular all over the world after the Western Han Dynasty's "no change of beam, Chishanze". At the same time, due to the opening of the two Silk Roads on land and at sea, Sino-foreign trade has gradually developed.

3. Further development of commerce in Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Sui and Tang Dynasties were the heyday of feudal society in China. Due to the development of agricultural economy and the progress of handicraft industry, especially the Grand Canal, which runs through the north and south in the Sui Dynasty, it has promoted the expansion of commodity circulation. There were cabinets and flying money in the Tang Dynasty. Counter specializes in money deposit and loan business, which is the earliest prototype of banks in China, six or seven hundred years earlier than the emergence of financial institutions along the Mediterranean coast in Europe. Flying money is similar to later drafts. The appearance of counter shops and flying money is the result of the development of commodity economy, and their appearance has promoted the convenience and development of commerce.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, in addition to Chang 'an and Luoyang in the Yellow River valley, Yangzhou and Yizhou in the Yangtze River valley 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. The population of Chang 'an City is no less than one million, and the demand for goods by such a huge population has caused the prosperity of Chang 'an City's commerce. 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. Guangzhou is the largest foreign trade port in the south and a gathering place for foreign merchant ships. The Tang government had a city ambassador here, who was in charge of foreign trade.

4. Prosperity of commerce in Song and Yuan Dynasties

(1) Commercial prosperity in the Song Dynasty: the variety of goods increased; Urban prosperity; Developed border trade; Foreign trade is developed.

(2) Performance of commercial prosperity in Yuan Dynasty: Most areas in Yuan Dynasty were political and cultural centers and prosperous international commercial metropolises. Hangzhou is the largest commercial and handicraft center in the south of China.

5. Huizhou merchants and Shanxi merchants in Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Huizhou merchants

The first stage of getting rich by managing salt industry

The second stage of tea, wood and grain industry.

The third stage of pawn going abroad

Shanxi

The first stage of getting rich by managing salt industry

The second stage of dealing in silk, iron, tea, cotton and wood.

Bank number, the third stage of going abroad