A Study On Tea Merchants In She County In Late Qing Dynasty And Early Republic Of China(1840-1919)

Tea has a long history of planting,processing and trading in China.In the 17 th century,the East India Company introduced Chinese tea from the East to the West,and tea was immediately loved by most upper-class people in Europe.From then on,Chinese tea began to flow into the world market through tributary trade or a small amount of export in certain regions,and gradually became a worldwide commodity.Before modern times,most of the trade surplus between China and other countries in the world was caused by the large amount of Chinese tea and porcelain exports.After the Opium War,China began to be involved in the capitalist world market,and tea became an important commodity that foreign merchants competed for,which also provided conditions for the prosperity of the export tea trade in modern times.With the reform of the salt law in the late Qing Dynasty,Huizhou salt merchants gradually lost their splendor during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.Tea merchants became an important force supporting the Huizhou merchants’ endgame due to factors such as the increase in demand for export tea.As an important part of Huizhou tea merchants,the tea merchants in Shexian County left a strong mark in the history of tea trade during this period.Through the analysis of the local chronicles,genealogy,account books and other materials related to Shexian tea merchants,we found that Shexian tea merchants not only inherited the business model and operation philosophy of Huizhou tea merchants since the Ming and Qing Dynasties,but also did not stand still.In the face of social changes,they are actively seeking transformation and development.In terms of operating methods,the tea merchants in Shexian County use joint ventures,loan-to-capital operations,and entrusted operations as their main operating methods.In addition to the traditional methods of borrowing from the same towns and families,the tea merchants in Shexian County have also increased the number of export teas since modern times.Special loan from the teahouse.In terms of business area,relying on the convenient water transportation conditions of Xin’an River,Yangtze River and Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal,the trade activities of Shexian tea merchants are almost all over the country.Their main activities are in the Yangtze River Basin,the Grand Canal Basin and the Guangzhou area.Due to the different geographical locations,there are obvious differences in the tea varieties and sales modes operated by tea merchants in these three regions.After the opening of Shanghai,the tea merchants in Shexian County moved their foreign trade center from Guangzhou to Shanghai in response to current conditions.The tea trade has a long history in China.Tea merchants in different regions have been active in the tea market for a long time.In the third chapter of the article,the tea merchants in Shexian County are compared with the tea merchants in Fujian,Shanxi,and the western Anhui.Under the same social background,the management characteristics of tea merchants in different regions are analyzed,so as to recognize the tea merchants in Shexian County more accurately.The last chapter analyzes the efforts made by the tea merchants in Shexian County to achieve better development when they face great social changes,including the shift of trade focus,the use of financial capital,the change of business focus,and the transformation of status.In the tea trade in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China,a large number of tea merchants from She County emerged,who were both well-versed in business and with a vision of the times,making the tea merchants in Shexian County an important regional groupof tea merchants in China’s tea market during this period.Some of the tea shops they have opened are still in business and have become famous Chinese time-honored brands.This article discusses the management mode,activity area and modern transformation of Shexian tea merchants in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China,which will help to advance the research of Huizhou merchants and modern business history.