Culture·Network And Wool Trade: The Merchants Of The Hui Nationality In Regions Of Gan-Ning-Qing In Modern Times (1894-1937)

The regions of Gan-Ning-Qing in northwestern China is the important stockbreeding area in China from of old. In modern times, with the opening of coastland, the region has gradually been jointed to the international market. Under the requirements of the international market, some stockbreeding products such as wool has become commercialized, marketing and extrovertive. Under this background and with the wool trade in Gan-Ning-Qing region during the years of 1894 to 1937 as the center, this dissertation examines a trade group with the nationality characteristics---the Hui nationality. Then it discusses the religion and culture of this nationality and also the various institutions based on the religion and culture such as Jamaat institutions, marriage institutions and Mosque education institutions. The dissertation further points out that it is these particular culture and other institutions that bring the nationality with a special cohesion which establishes a broader social networks for the Hui nationality outside their own homes than Han nationality. With this social network, the merchants of the Hui nationality in modern times also set themselves in this network; therefore their trade activities with the wool trade as the main content are embedded into their social networks. The dissertation mainly includes four parts.First, the dissertation makes a relative literature review on rising and development of the merchants of the Hui nationality in Gan-Ning-Qing region. Based on this, it shows that the merchants of the Hui nationality rose for a second time after the uprising of the Hui nationality in Tongzhi period and rapidly developed an active trade group and they played an important role in the trade activities in Gan-Ning-Qing region from the late period of Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, especially in the wool trade during the years of 1894 to 1937.Secondly, the dissertation analyzes the wool industry, the wool trade, the marketing, trading organizations and the land and water transportations of wool, and then it shows that in the wool trade of Gan-Ning-Qing region in modern times, the merchants of the Hui nationality play a primary part both in the wool purchase and transportation. Thirdly, this dissertation illustrates that the Hui nationality, as a nationality with whole people with one religious belief, has a culture background totally different from the Han nationality. This Moslem culture makes them good at and takes delight in trading and also this culture establishes a special cohesion among the Hui community in Gan-Ning-Qing region which brings the Hui nationality with a broader social network than the Han nationality. With this social network, the merchants of the Hui nationality in modern times set themselves in it; therefore their trade activities with the wool trade as the main content are embedded into their social networks. To illustrate the characteristics of embedding of the trade network of the Hui nationality, the dissertation takes the case of Xidaotang as an example.Fourthly, this dissertation analyses the developments of the merchants of the Hui Nationality in Gan-Ning-Qing region mainly from the two aspects of history-geography and social culture.