A Study Of Chongqing Sugar Merchants In The Republic Of China

Since the opening of Chongqing,it has been a distribution centre for materials from all over Sichuan,Northern Yunnan,northern Guizhou,Tibet and Shaanxi,southern Gansu,the commercial capital of eastern Sichuan and the economic centre of gravity of the southwest.Sichuan is an important sugar cane growing area in China and the sugar industry,which depends on sugar cane growing,is an important industry in Sichuan.With its advantageous geographical location and long commercial tradition,Chongqing became the largest distribution market for the sugar trade in Sichuan,and witnessed the development of the sugar trade in Sichuan in modern times.Chongqing sugar merchants were the dominant players in the sugar trade and were direct participants in the economic development of the sugar industry in Chongqing and Sichuan.This paper takes the Chongqing sugar merchant group during the Republican period as the object of study.By combing through the formation and development process of Chongqing sugar merchants and their organisations during the Republican period,it focuses on the status and role of Chongqing sugar merchants in the Sichuan sugar trade,the manifestation of the modernisation of sugar merchant organisations and the response of the sugar merchant group to the development of the industry and changes in the current situation.Since its opening in 1891,the sugar market in Chongqing has experienced ups and downs,with its changes mainly bounded by the fall of Yichang and Shashi in 1940.Before the fall of Yisha,the sugar market in Chongqing was characterised by competition and rivalry between foreign sugar and Sichuan sugar,and the radiation and absorption of the Chongqing sugar market increased during this period,and the sugar economy was very prosperous.The end of the sugar monopoly in 1944 and the victory in the war against Japan in 1945 did not restore the prosperity of the sugar market in Chongqing.The chaotic socio-economic situation,hyperinflation and the decline in the purchasing power of the population made the future of the sugar market in Chongqing uncertain.During the Republican period,the prosperous sugar trade in Chongqing bred a group of Chongqing sugar merchants whose main business was sugar transportation and marketing.The sugar transport and marketing activities led by the Chongqing sugar merchants linked the production area market and the distribution area market of the Sichuan sugar industry,forming a chain of sugar transport and marketing from cultivation,production to sales.A strict division of labour was formed within the Chongqing sugar merchants,with each having its own role in the sugar transportation and marketing activities,which gradually grew in size.With the development and evolution of Chongqing’s sugar economy,the group of Chongqing sugar merchants has gradually grown,showing the characteristics of a group with limited financial resources,weak risk resistance and multiple identity backgrounds.The continued development of Chongqing’s sugar economy,the increasing awareness of the sugar merchants’ autonomy and the guidance of government policies have led to the transformation of the Chongqing sugar merchants’ organisation from a sugar gang to a trade association and the formation of a modernised sugar merchants’ organisation,the Chongqing Sugar Merchants’ Association.As a trade organisation,the association played a role in safeguarding the development of the sugar industry and fighting for the interests of its member firms,and played an intermediary role between the government and the merchants.As an organisation of merchants,the guild united the sugar merchant community and regulated the order of the sugar market,reflecting the institutionalised and democratic development of sugar merchant organisations in the Republican period.At the same time,a comparison between the sugar merchants’ guilds in Chongqing and Shanghai is made to explore the similarities and differences between the two,with an emphasis on the unique features of the Chongqing Sugar Merchants’ Guild.The business activities of the Chongqing sugar merchants reflect the trading patterns and rules of the Chongqing sugar market at different times,and demonstrate the way in which they interacted with related industries.With the development of the modern commodity economy,the commercial market flourished and the status of merchants continued to rise,while their dedication and sense of social participation increased during the Republican period when the country was in turmoil,with frequent disasters and war emergencies in various parts of the country.The wartime economic relief activities undertaken by the sugar merchants through their trade associations were a reflection of the social responsibility and dedication of Chongqing’s sugar merchants.During the Republican period,the Chongqing sugar merchant community experienced ups and downs,epitomising the sugar economy of Sichuan and the economic development of Chongqing in the modern era.A study of the Chongqing sugar merchant community during the Republican period is an excellent entry point for understanding the development of the sugar trade and trading patterns in Sichuan.By analysing the business models,trade networks and market norms of the sugar industry in Chongqing,as well as the evolution of the group’s organisation and the interaction between the industry,the merchants and the government,the study restores the development trend of the modern Sichuan sugar economy,which alternated between prosperity and crisis,and shows how the Chongqing sugar merchants responded to the sugar boom and crisis,thus providing a glimpse into the position of merchants in the sugar trade and the relationship between the Chongqing sugar industry and regional economic development.The relationship between the sugar industry and regional economic development.