National Capitals Business Markets In Tang-Song Period

The national capital business can be seen as a broad reflectionof its production, distribution, exchanging and consuming, which takes itsfaction as a mirror of its life and economy of the society. It can alsoreflect the economy development situation in some degree. As a special city,the national capital was very complicated in the problems such as themarkets establishments, management, and the relationship betweenbusinessmen and the government. In the Tang-Song period, Great changesof the society in China took place as well as the markets of national capitalbusiness. Due to this situation, the present paper takes the former researchas its basis, and aims at making a comparative analysis of theestablishments managements, the palace markets and the businessmen marketsin Chang'an and Bian Jing in these two Dynasties. It is expected that thispaper would throw some new insights toward the evolving tendency of thenational capital business and the economy developing tendency.This paper contains seven parts:PartⅠ: Preface. This part contains the general conclusion of the formerresearch in the business and markets of Chang'an and Bian Jing in Tang-Song period, it also involves the interpretation of the title, aims,definitions and methods of the present paper.PartⅡ: The establishment of the national capital business in Tang'sCapital Chang'an compared with Bian Jing in North Song dynasty. The authormade a comparative analysis of those two capitals from the angles of spaceand time, and draws the conclusion that the space distribution of themarkets in Chang'an and Bian Jing have shifted from the strict one—theprevious "workshop regularity" to the "invade and occupy to streets"phenomenon. And the core of the space distribution, which was called"market place", was expanded to the surroundings. The time distributionhave also shifted from the pervious strict one—the "traveling by night is forbidden" to the prosperity of the "the night market" in latter time.These changes can be regarded as a historical period, which were relatedto their own overall arrangement, cities management policies and citiesbusiness development level.PartⅢ: The management of the business markets of Chang'an and BianJing in Tang-Song period. According to the comparison of the aspects suchas management offices, the setting up of officials and the managementcontents, it draws the conclusion that the administrative management wasgradually improved and advanced in this period, the number of managementofficials was becoming larger and the distributions of labor were moredetailed, and the management contents were gradually complicated. All ofthese described above indicated that a completed system was forming.PartⅣ: The palace markets of Chang'an and Bian Jing. Comparing withthe palace markets of Chang'an and za mai wu(杂买务), za mai place (杂买场) in Bian Jing, the author believed that the palace market of this periodreflected the relationship between the imperial court and the market. Bothof the palace markets have the characteristics of robbing.PartⅤ: The colony of businessmen in Chang'an and Bian Jing markets. Thispaper also analyzed the forming, thinking mode and mental attitudes of thebusinessmen in Changan and Bian Jing, which draws the conclusion thatcompared with Chang'an and Bian jing, Beside the rich businessmen,government commerce, middle-level businessmen and the people who didbusiness with little capitals, and mediators of goods exchanging, someforeign businessmen as well as businessmen who came from the North Chinaalso were found in the markets of Chan'an, the capital of Tang Dynasty.While in the markets of Bian jing, the association of government officialswho escorted food and goods, the monks and Taoist priests, and thebusinessmen tended to be complicated. Meanwhile, both of the Chang'an andBian jing's businessmen kept positive attitudes toward the participationin social work. However due to their different national conditions andtime features, they also have dissimilarities. The businessmen of Chang'anwere very initiative toward their work, while the Bian jing businessmen,on the other hand, were very eager for seeking wealth, and they also got senses of inferiority.PartⅥ: The evolving tendency and enlightenment of the capital businessin Tang-Song period. Based on the above description, the author summarizedthe main differences between the two Capitals, and discussed thedevelopment tendency of the economy in Tang-Song period's society. Somesuggestions also were given to the two cities' business markets in thecontemporary society, which were on the ground of the tendency of marketsevolving when both of the two cities lost their function as capitals.PartⅦ: Conclusions. This part is to summarize the main ideas of thewhole paper.