Study On The Activities Of Huizhou Merchants In Jiangxi During Ming And Qing Dynasties

During the Ming and Qing dynasties,the Huizhou merchants were undoubtedly one of the most active commercial groups within China.Under the influence of the geographical transportation situation and the industrial economy,the Jiangxi region became an important area for the activities of the Huizhou merchants.The activities of the Huizhou merchants in Jiangxi were one of the more influential economic and social phenomena and contents of this period.The commercial trade carried out by the Huizhou merchants in Jiangxi during the Ming and Qing dynasties not only to met the respective econimic needs of Huizhou and Jiangxi,but also to provided goods to the national market.In this process,the Huizhou merchants penetrated more into the agricultural and handicraft commercial fields of Jiangxi,and their active activities were common in the industries of grain,timber,tea,porcelain and paper making.By picking and transporting grain from Jiangxi,the merchants not only met the need for local grain in Huizhou,but also resold the grain from Jiangxi to the national market to gain profit.Since the Tang and Song dynasties,Huizhou merchants have had rich commercial practices in the tea and timber trade.Huizhou tea was shipped and sold before and after the switch,relying on Jiangxi Hekou town and Jiujiang port before and after respectively,and Huizhou tea was thus sold well at home and abroad.The high quality and low price of timber in Jiangxi attracted the merchants to venture into the deep forests of Jiangxi,searching for good Chinese fir wood and Nan wood,and the merchants transported and sold Jiangxi timber to Jiangnan towns through the waterways of the Yangtze River,thus connecting the regional timber market of the Yangtze River.The porcelain of Jingdezhen and the paper of Guangxin Province were also popular in the national market,thanks to the merchants.The many handicraft towns that sprang up in Jiangxi pushed the Huizhou merchants to come here to purchase porcelain,paper and other handicraft goods.In the major towns of Jiangxi,Huizhou merchants were not only itinerant merchants but also settled shopkeepers,allowing them to penetrate all aspects of local handicraft production,and Jiangxi’s handicraft products were increasingly involved in commercial circulation.In addition to commercial activities,the various social activities of Huizhou merchants in Jiangxi were also diversified.As Huizhou merchants were involved in all the major areas of Jiangxi’s commodity economy,conflicts inevitably arose between Huizhou merchants and local merchants in the course of doing business,leading to inevitable commercial disputes.Huizhou merchants also actively participate in the public welfare activities in Jiangxi,in the charitable relief and infrastructure construction are full of Huizhou merchants,not only reflects the Huizhou merchants Jia but also good Confucianism,and practice the "Shi" spirit of commitment,set up a good image of Huizhou merchants.The Huizhou merchants had a significant impact on the economy,culture and culture of Jiangxi,which was conducive to the expansion of the circulation of goods and the development of the commercial economy in Jiangxi,as well as the closer regional ties between the two regions,which had a greater impact on the social development and economic ecology of the whole country,especially the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.