| Sichuan is a very significant region in inland China, and the developing history of Sichuan is always an important component of the overall social development of China. Since the modern times, modernization has become the times theme of Chinese social development; However, Chinese modernization, to a great extent, depends on the modernization of the western regions centering about Sichuan. The modernization of Sichuan, to a great extent, lies on the industrialization of Sichuan, the realization of which is based on the precondition of the flourishing social economy and ample funds, and it is impossible to realize above without the support of funds. Therefore, "the relation between the finance and a nation is just as the relation between the blood and a human body and the finance is indispensable for a nation". It can be said the banking development of Sichuan in modern times is the key to all problems in modernization process of Sichuan. The period from 1905 to 1935 is a very crucial, complex and special period in modern Chinese history, and a significant stage for the banking development in Sichuan as well. It is essential for the modernization of the western regions centering about Sichuan, as well as the development of Chinese banking. However, the studies on the local banking phylogeny in modern Chinese history are a bottleneck in the studies of the banking phylogeny in modern Chinese history. Hence, this topic may not only make up the regret and lack of the studies on Sichuan banking phylogeny in modern history, but also provide some speculations favorable for the studies on the local banking phylogeny in modern Chinese history, which has certain theoretical meaning and academic values.This paper makes comparatively in-depth discussion on the development of Sichuan banking in thirty years (from 1905 to 1935) from the following aspects.Firstly, it makes relatively systematic sorting and retrospection on the academic history study of the banking developing history in modern Chinese history, objective evaluations on the academic status, contributions and effects of this academic history study, and points out the lack and the extensible academic space; secondly, combining the history of the Chinese banking development in modern times, it comprehensively analyzes the general situation of Chinese banking development in modern history; thirdly, it introduces the historical background and the evolution orbit of Sichuan banking development in the thirty years; fourthly, it introduces and comments on the historical starting point and the development foundation of Sichuan banking development in the thirty years, which provides epistemological foundation for the subsequent studies; fifthly, the case analysis on The Young Brothers Banking Corporation and Sichuan American Oriental Banking Corporation demonstrates the living environment, the historical encounter, the evolution orbit and the individual traits of ordinary commercial banks and Sino-foreign joint venture banks in the local bank phylogeny of the western regions of China in modern Chinese history. It also attempts to conduct in-depth discussion on the developmental level and degree of the local banks in inland China and objectively evaluates the historical status, function and effect of Sichuan banking of the modern times in the overall Chinese local banking phylogeny through such empirical analysis.The study on the banking phylogeny in modern Chinese history begins to widely attract the great attention of the academic circles in the mainland in the recent twenty years, and gradually becomes mature and booming. Its underlying background lies in the following: with the increasing deepening of the current reform and opening and the historical opportunities from the transform of Chinese social and economic systems, how to change the (all-in-one) mono-bank system formed under the traditional planned economic system to a modern bank system adapting to the socialist market economy is a issue that decides whether the banking system reform of our country is a success or not, and is further concerned with the success of the overall national economic restructuring. Consequently,looking back on, combing, summarizing and studying history becomes an important topic and task of the studies on the banking phylogeny in modern Chinese history. As a subtopic of studies on banking phylogeny in modern Chinese history, the studies on local banking phylogeny in modern Chinese history are very significant. Because a banking phylogeny in modern Chinese history without the sufficient studies and plentiful achievements of local banking phylogeny in modern Chinese history is impossible to reflect the banking development history of the overall modern Chinese history in an objective, systematic, exact and comprehensive way, further impossible to provide really valuable reference for the current reform.Sichuan banking began from Junchuanyuan Banking Corporation (government-run) established by the Qing Government in 1905 upon the request of Sichuan Governor Xi Liang. The first private commercial bank in Sichuan was Jinfeng Banking Corporation established by two brothers of Chen Dingchen and Chen Xincheng—the salt industry giants in Jiangjin in 1913. However, up to 1935, there were dozens of various types of banks, majority of which lasted briefly. The really representative and typical banks were The Young Brothers Banking Corporation and Sichuan American Oriental Banking Corporation. The former was called the leading banking corporation among the four big banking groups of China—Huaxi Group, and the latter was considered as the first Sino-foreign joint venture bank in the western regions in modern Chinese history.After initiation in 1913 and preparation in 1914, The Young Brothers Banking Corporation was formally established in 1915 in Chongqing and ended in 1950. The whole management course of the bank lasted 35 years, undergoing two periods including period of Beiyang Government and period of Nationalist Government. During the period of Beiyang Government, the developing history of The Young Brothers Banking Corporation could be divided into two stages, the first was from 1915 to 1921, which could be named as the establishment period; the second was from 1922 to 1927, which could be named as valley period under a very difficult and circuitous condition. As the Beiyang Government's dominanceended, China was under the reign of Jiang Jieshi Nationalist Government. Long-term domestic turbulence and dynastic changes made Chinese financial situation very confused. Under this condition, plus the internal contradiction and conflicts, The Young Brothers Banking Corporation was damaged largely. Therefore, decade from 1927 to 1935 could be regarded as the phase of adjustment and development in the history of The Young Brothers Banking Corporation. As a whole, although the Young Brothers Banking Corporation was weather-beaten and suffered in the twenties years' (1915-1935) development and evolved from an old-type business firm to a recent bank wholly controlled by a family, evidences of old-type business firm and thick feudalism remained all the time. Under the social condition at that time, as a rising recent capitalism financial enterprise, The Young Brothers Banking Corporation inevitably encountered the serious devastation of feudal forces represented by warlords, heavy extrusion of local bureaucrat capital, covet of foreign capitals, disputes and seizing between the families and the conflicts and fighting between labor and capital. With various conflicts interweaving, containing and affecting mutually, The Young Brothers Banking Corporation could only severely seek existence and development on the twisty and circuitous way, making it just like an old teetering man filled with hardships. However, the impact of The Young Brothers Banking Corporation on Chinese banking phylogeny in the modern times is undoubted.Although compared with the Young Brothers Banking Corporation in Chongqing and other commercial banks in coastal areas, Sichuan American Oriental Banking Corporation had certain disparities and differences in terms of business scale, business scope, business variety and amount of funds deposited, it had some unique characteristics and styles in terms of business view and business method. The period of joint venture between this bank and the American investor that represented the capital only lasted a very short time, five years (1922-1927), it was the first bank in West China after all. Therefore, it had profound impact on the civil banks undertaking in west china in the modern times and the whole economic environment. In 1927, after the American party had withdrawn funds,Sichuan American Oriental Banking Corporation entered the period under the dominance of local warlords and was forced to participate various financial activities arranged by the warlords in order to remain existence in competition, which were caused by the political, economic and financial environment of China and Sichuan at that time instead of orientation of necessity. While talking about the financial activities of foreign capitals in China in the modern times, Mr. Wang Jingyu had pointed out four characteristics: "The first is the enhancement of support from Chinese government; the second is the prominence of Sino-foreign cooperation form; the third is the changes in the field of financial activities; the fourth is the increase in multinational banks". As a typical representative of "joint investment, joint management" Sino-foreign contractual joint venture in inland China in the modern times, Sichuan American Oriental Banking Corporation justly embodied the second characteristic mentioned by Mr. Wang Jingyu. As a result, we must be aware that Sichuan American Oriental Banking Corporation is a real economic entity with combination of Sino-foreign funds in the modern Chinese history. No matter how circuitous and complex the historical representation is, the particularity provided with epoch feature and demonstration effect should be clear, which are valuable for the later generations to summarize and study.
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