Huizhou Merchants In Hankou Among Early Qing Dynasty And Republic Period

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Huizhou merchant was one of most important business groups, thus it caused the attention of various academics. For Huizhou merchants’ studies, in addition to the Huizhou and surrounding areas, involving in the Yangtze river valley and from as far away as Beijing, Fujian, overseas etc. Since the middle of Ming Dynasty, Hankou where is located next to the Yangtze river is also one of the major areas for making money. Whether in Huizhou local chronicles, collected works, or Hankou’ local chronicles, files, sites, all above reveal Huizhou merchants’ economic life and social life in Hankou. In this article,through the introduction and four chapters to analyse Huizhou merchants in Hankou among Qing dynasty and Republican period. The introduction part describes the significance of the topic, the academic review, supporting the writing material, as well as the thought of writing and the method. Reviewing the domestic and foreign research could clarify the basic situation of the topic and deficiencies, in the article, I willl use more historical materials with different period of time.Chapter one, first defined the meaning of Huizhou merchants in Hankou, secondly determined the route that Huizhou merchants travel to Hankou. Thirdly analyzes Hankou’s business background among Qing dynasty and Republican period, in order to sums up the development of Huizhou merchants briefly.Chapter two, through to the hankou business industry of huizhou merchants of comb, in order to make clear the operation situation of Huizhou merchants in hankou and their status in Hankou commercial. Reference to Wuhan and Huizhou local chronicles, archives and other data. It was clear from the salt, tea and pawnbroking that Huizhou merchants had great influences in Hankou, however, after the middle period of Qing dynasty, with the disappearance of the salt monopoly, their popularity has waned.Chapter three, this paper expounds the interaction between economic development and cultural construction, along with growing economic strength of Huizhou merchants, they would use money for worship Confucianism, respect teachers, to build college, library, training children reading, etc., Hankou’Yekaitai’is an example. These were superior performance about Confucianism. At the same time, the result of the cultural construction is to foster a batch of office personnel who were bored in Huizhou, this batch of special escort for Huizhou merchants’ management. By arms to help with the conflict between Huizhou merchants and natives could prove.Chapter four, I discuss the connection between Huizhou merchants and social development. Huizhou commercial development has various effects on the local, such as setting up the model of intellectual businessman, philanthropist, helping local victims, participating in the mediation of social contradictions, Hankou public facilities construction and management, and so on. Such acts of kindness, not only improve Huizhou merchants’reputation in Hankou, but also invisible to protect Huizhou merchants from jealousy and exclusion, and gain respect and admiration of the locals, yet motivation of Huizhou merchants’meritorious deed is from their full of reading Confucian classics.