On Research Of Confucian Businessman Family Of The Dings In Huang County Of Qing Dynasty

The clan of Dings in Huang County used to be a distinguished family in Shandong region, which inherited Confucian thought of"running a family according to the Morals, doing business by abiding by sincere credit". Since the Jiajing period of Ming dynasty to the late period of Qing dynasty, there were 4 third degree candidates in the national civil service examination and 17 second degree candidates in the provincial examination of the imperial examination, with 323 turned out to become high-ranking officials in the Dings, which ensured the Dings to become a distinguished family in Qing dynasty. By running business at first, the Dings became the wealthiest of Shandong province in the Qianlong period and even got a nickname of"Ding millionaire". The Dings became a famous Confucian businessman family in Shandong region in Qing dynasty by consistently combining two parts of becoming officials and running business and sticking to the principle of directing its behavior by using the Confucian thoughts in its process of developing. During its more than two hundred years of development, the Dings formed profound accumulation of family schooling, and almost every generation of its family, from the eleventh to the sixteenth generation, was productive in the academic fields involving epigraphy, poetry, calligraphy, medicine, Confucian classics, history, forming profound family culture of the Dings. Besides, it inherited the family tradition of being benevolent enough to do well and accumulating merit from generation to generation, which was recorded in every Huang County Record.Based on the widely-collected recourses and the achievements inherited from the former researchers, the thesis systematically studied the Dings from the perspective of family history for the first time. By study of the Dings and its family culture, it tried to reveal the internal developing mechanism, living statement, value orientation of the Confucian businessman family in Shandong region in Qing dynasty, and seek the bonding point between the study of chorography and economics history, and the research perspective of historical sociology. The thesis is composed of five parts:The first part discussed origin and migration of the Dings and revealed the panorama of the development of the Dings and several main branches showed in this process of development. Its ancestral home can be traced back to the region of Zhucheng and Rizhao. The family which sprouted during the period from the Jiajing period of Ming dynasty to the Kangxi period of Qing dynasty, paid attention to both agriculture and learning, together with running commerce. After wealth accumulation during the Yongzheng period, it began to go into the state of prosperity and flourishing during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods, with pawning as its most important industry and"Tailai", founded by Ding Yuanyi, as its representative. Besides,"Xiyuelai"founded by Ding Fazu was growing stronger and stronger. During the Guangxu period,"Tailai"was under the state of decadence, while"Xiyuelai"was becoming the flagship of the Dings. The same as many grand families, the Dings, too, was stuck into decadence; while a lot of progressive people came into being with Ding Foyan as their representative.The second part discussed the official achievements of the Dings, which is also the reason why it was called"the Confucian businessman family". By concluding the achievements of the Dings in the imperial examination and analyzing the main branches of the Dings and its position in the imperial examination of Huang County, the thesis revealed the unique characteristics of the Dings. Though the achievements of the Dings in the imperial examination were not quite distinguished, the Dings held the power in the officialdom from the level of central to the local government. By analyzing the official achievements of Ding Jinzu, Ding Jinzu, Ding Peiyi, it revealed honesty and cleanness showed in the descendent of the Dings under the direction of the Confucian thoughts, which also paved the way for the development and prosperity of its commercial business.The third part put emphasis on the analysis of commercial operation of the Dings. As a famous Confucian businessman family, commercial operation was treated as the main access of getting wealth, with pawning as its economic pillar. The thesis analyzed the background, characteristics, scale and range of pawning operation of the Dings, and its private banking based on the pawning, which revealed the internal reasons of commercial prosperity of the Dings, and indirectly reflected some characteristics of pawning and financial industries of Huang County in Qing dynasty. Besides, it analyzed the general situation, characteristics, principles and ways of management of other industries of the Dings such as the medicine shop operation, and concluded characteristics of the commercial operation of the Dings, which reflected, to some extent, the developing situation of the financial and commercial industries of Huang County region of Qing dynasty as well.The fourth part investigated the Dings status of being a Confucian businessman family from"personal loyalty""wealth""kindness""harmony""courtesy"of Confucian thoughts showed in the thoughts of"doing business by abiding by sincere credit, gaining wealth in harmonious relationships"that are mentioned above, and its attitude towards nation and neighborhood, culture of family spirit as well. By analyzing such behaviors as initiating local militia, safeguarding homeland, helping out neighborhood, aiding victims of natural calamity, concerning public welfare, doing beneficence, being filial, managing family by"courtesy", it reflected the spiritual essence of the family and revealed connotation of the Dings status of being a Confucian businessman family with Ding Chen, Ding Peiyi, Ding Peijie, DingBaoxun, Ding Shiren as its representatives.The fifth part began its discussion from the meaning of"Confucius", and concluded literature achievements of Confucian businessman family of the Dings of Huang County. During Qing dynasty, the Dings has reached compelling achievement in not only imperial examination and commercial operation, but also in the cultural aspect, especially in the fields of inscriptions collection and literature creation. Such people from the Dings as Ding Shuzhen, Ding Baoshan, Ding Fengchi were preoccupied with inscriptions collection and preserved many precious cultural relic for our nation, while such people as Ding Hualing, Ding Peiyi, Ding Yukui, Ding Jianben left many valuable masterpieces for posterity, which have become precious historical material for researching the Dings and Huang County in Qing dynasty.The sixth part systematically concluded origin, development, inheriting, and decadence of the Dings, and reflected again the general vicissitude process of such a grand Confucian businessman family for the purpose of revealing internal developing mechanism of the Dings, deepening recognition of the whole family, and primarily exploring practical significance of studying the Dings.