A Research On Nanbu Private Lending In Sichuan Province During Guangxuan Period

Private lending is a kind of credit relationship between private individuals that is popular among the people without going through specialized financial institutions,mainly including lending between individuals and lending by individuals to non-financial institutions.It has long existed in traditional Chinese society because of its broad and flexible nature.The rise,development and decline of private lending are closely related to the peasant and commodity economy,and are in line with the economic development of the society at that time.The activities of private lending outline the real situation of people’s lives in the lower class,reflecting the urgency of farmers’ need for capital and the real state of the rural economy.Nanbu County is located in the northern part of the Sichuan basin,and during the Guangxuan period,there were frequent droughts and floods,annual famines,heavy population,and forced debt accounts,coupled with the heavy taxation of the Qing Dynasty,the peasants were overwhelmed and fell into the dilemma of difficulty in securing food and clothing.During the Guangxuan period,folk lending in Nanbu County,Sichuan Province,took various forms and was divided into two categories: interest-free lending and interest-bearing lending according to the presence or absence of interest,of which interest-bearing lending was divided into pledge-free lending and pledged lending according to the presence or absence of collateral.In Southern County,interest-free,small loans are the main form of lending,and money is lent to borrowers by friends and relatives without interest or low interest.In addition,there are special forms of lending,such as joint meetings,credit purchases and pawning.During the Guangxuan period,there were many associations in Nanbu County,especially the shaking association.The head of the meeting invites friends and relatives to start a meeting,and the rules of the meeting are decided by drawing lots,shaking dice and drawing lots.The duration of the meeting is variable,with monthly,quarterly and annual meetings.It is worth noting that usury existed in Nanbu County,and pawning was also a kind of usury in essence.Both pawnshop lending and private pawn lending are active in Southern County.All of the above-mentioned numerous forms of private lending provide services for farmers to borrow money and have an impact on the society in Southern County.Although folk lending has played a significant role in alleviating the exploitation of usurious goods by farmers and relieving the financial pressure of daily production,it has also often led to lending disputes.By analyzing a large number of documents in southern archives,this paper analyzes the types,characteristics and present situation of the folk loans in southern counties,and describes the true features of the folk loans in southern counties in the late Qing dynasty,to make clear the operation of folk lending in the southern counties of the late Qing dynasty and the attitude and relationship between the government and the people in the trial of cases,so as to probe into the activities and effects of folk lending in the southern counties of the Qing dynasty,at the same time,it provides reference for analyzing and solving the phenomenon and problem of non-governmental loan.