Research On Sichuan Medicinal Materials Trade

Sichuan is the important medicinal materials producing area at all times in China. Sichuan medicinal material has broad producing area, rich species, large quantities of production and selling and excellent quality. Medicinal materials trade is on the important station of Sichuan trade. As a traditional product of Sichuan , its trade brought the society of town and country into an entirety of production and selling, established the economic relation between town and country, reflected the economic communication between town and country to a certain degree.Along with the opening of Chongqing port and navigation of Sichuan River, Sichuan trade developed quickly. Its medicinal materials trade gradually became prosperous, and formed mature medicinal materials market net. By way of management organizations such as shop ,storehouse and so on, medicinal materials were dealt in. In the process of transportation and selling, an intact market system which was from production market to assembling and distribution market ,export market and selling market came into being. The market system changed as the development of time and situation. Before the opening of Chongqing port, Chengdu was the center of Sichuan medicinal materials market net, while after the opening of Chongqing port especially in the Republic of China, this simple market structure was shocked ,Chongqing became the biggest medicinal materials market center of Southwest China. In the War of Resistance Against Japan, The channel from southwest to southeast Asia became commodity transportation route because of the changing of situation and blockage of Sichuan river. However, Chongqing was an important link on land transportation route, Yibin's status of second market function in South Sichuan became more and more outstanding. Sichuan medicinal materials trade structure went toward complicated.After opening of Chongqing port, Sichuan medicinal materials trade experienced a course which was from prosperity to decline. Medicinal materials trade amount dropped sharply after its golden period in 1930 and 1931. There were such following major reasons. First, medicinal materials manager continued using timeworn method and experience in produce, manufacture and trade. The second reason was the exorbitant taxes and levies. The third reason was the influence of Sichuan militarist war and the War of Resistance Against Japan. The fourth reason was the invading of West medicine and else medicinal materials from other provinces. In order to save Sichuan medicinal materials trade recession, many people appealed and did their best. Chongqing medicinal materials trade association modified guild regulations and corrupt customs, advocated to reduce tax and ameliorate national medicine and prepared to fond factories of national medicine. Some people of insight and social associations advanced to improve planting of medicinal materials, develop pharmacy industry and fond drug research organizations. However, the measures were mostly not brought into effect because of various reasons.