Researches In The Dian-Kong Trade In Modern Times

This dissertation will focus on the trade activities and relations between Yunnan and Hong Kong in modern times, thinking that the Dian-Kong trade (the trade between Yunnnan and Hong Kong) is the most important bilateral ones amongst Yunnan's foreign trade relations in the trade history of modern Yunnan. Research in the trade history of modern Yunnan needs penetrating the trade issues between Dian and Kong in special-topic style.This dissertation will cover three aspects. Firstly, the basic process of initiation, evolution and development of the Dian-Kong trade in modern times, and its prosperity-and- decline characteristics. Next, relations between the Dian-Kong trade and overall foreign trade of Yunnan. Finally, its influence to and impact on the development and evolution of the social economy of Yunnan in modern times.This dissertation consists of four chapters: Chapter â…  is on the Dian-Kong trade relations in the late Qing Dynasty;Chapter â…¡ on the Dian-Kong trade from 1912 to the eve of Anti-Japanese War;Chapter â…¢ on the Dian-Kong trade from 1937 to 1949;Chapter â…£ on the Dian-Kong trade and social economy of Yunnan.Through systemic researches in the trade issues of Dian-Kong, this dissertation conies to the ideas and view-points as follows:Regarding the Dian-Kong trade issues in the late Qing Dynasty, the author thinks: the Dian-Kong trade was initiated on the eve of the open of Mengzi Customhouse and the Sino-French War, whose the trade route at early stage was Dian-Gui route while the one at late stage was Dian-Vietnam route( from Mengzi to Hai Phong , a port city of Vietnam and then to Hong Kong, and the route back is the opposite );saying from the angle of Yunnan, export was with tin as the bulk commodity and import with cotton commodity as the bulk;the merchants were mainly from Guangdong and the southern Yunnan, including the famous Linan Merchant Group in the southern Yunnan, which got wealthy, owing to operating Dian-Kong trade.Concerning Dian-Kong trade from 1912 to the eve of Anti-Japanese War, the author thinks that: from 1912 to 1937 was the period of time in which Dian-Kong trade developed stable;the open of Dian-Vietnam railway played a big promoting role to the growth of Dian-Kong trade, in other words, although Dian-Kong trade in modern times was not initiated by the railway, it walked toward prosperity and growth because of the railway;the trade content included exporting medical herbs, leather and bristle as well as importing streak silver and transit trade besides exporting tin ore and importing cotton commodity, but the latter was still the bulk commodities;Dian-Kong tin ore trade gained a long-run and stable growth, during which although the tin trade sometimes declined, it always had kept on a stable tendency, and the major target market continued to be Hong Kong although some of Dian-tin was directly exported to international markets because of the establishment and operation of Yunnan Tin Metallurgy Company;the merchants were not only those or those groups from Guangdong and the southern Yunnan, but also some famous ones from the western Yunnan, and some shops, such as Yongchandxiang, Tin Qingxiang had got greater growth, in addition of whom Zhang Muxin, a merchant of Yunnnan living in Hong Kong also had got a stable growth in the Hong Kong Market through operating Dian-Kong trade.With respect to Dian-Kong trade from 1937 to 1949, the writer thinks: the broke out of theAnti-Japanese War carried both positive and negative impact on Dian-Kong trade, between which the former was greater, and only because of Yunnnan's special location and advantages in the domestic-and-abroad trade structure in the early stage of the War, was Dian-Kong trade (including the trade between Sichuan ,Guizhou Province and Hong Kong by way of Yunnan), particularly export from Yunnan to Hong Kong promoted to an unprecedentedly rapid growing level in the early stage of the War, having reached climax in the history of Dian-Kong trade;the rapid trade decline during the middle and late stage of the Anti-Japanese War and the trade recession after the Chinese victory of the War was generally due to the change and deterioration of the terms of trade of Yunnan while the specific cause was closely relevant to the close of Dian-Vietnam railway;from the view of the commodity structure, the export of such commodities as tin ore, leather, bristle, rung oil (Chines wood oil) and tungsten had grown rapidly at the early stage of the War while having stopped during the middle and late stage of the War, and after the Chinese victory of the War, there was some restoration, but the volume was very small.As for the issue of the Dian-Kong trade and social economy of Yunnan, the author thinks: from the view of relations between the Dian-Kong trade and overall foreign trade of Yunnan, the Dian-Kong trade is the most important bilateral one amongst the foreign trades of Yunnan in modem times, namely, it not only was the major part in the foreign trades of modern Yunnan, but also played a very important role in pulling the growth and keeping the balance of the trade of Yunnan;and meantime, the Dian-Kong trade exerted important effects and influence over the promotion of the social economic development, the guarantee of financial stability, the promotion of the growth of revenue and the enhancement of the evolution of the social culture of Yunnan in modern times.