A Comprehensive History of Chinese Business. Volume 1

Author: Wu Hui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: This book begins from ancient times and the Three Dynasties, ending with the late Qing Dynasty, with chapters organized by dynasties. The Qing Dynasty is divided into two periods by the Opium War, with chapters narrating both before and after, highlighting the differences between modern commercial development and ancient times while maintaining the completeness of the Qing commercial history. As for the later part of modern commerce, it will be studied separately in the history of commerce during the Republic of China and is not within the scope of this book. Each chapter is structured around four major sections: the development of commerce, merchants, commercial policies, and commercial thought. By combining economic development with the superstructure and cultural thought, the general history is compiled into a coherent system. The chapters are interconnected and complementary, allowing for comparisons between different periods to reveal the characteristics of development. The history of commerce is not just the history of the Han Chinese but should be a multi-ethnic history of Chinese commerce. This book dedicates special sections or chapters to the trade exchanges between ethnic groups in history and the commercial activities of independent frontier states or dynasties (such as the Uyghurs, Tibetans, Nanzhao, Dali, Liao, Xia, Jin, and Yuan), aiming to provide as detailed research and discussion as possible, ensuring they occupy a significant portion of the book to showcase one of its features. The historical examination of foreign trade is pursued with thoroughness. At the same time, attention is paid to studying Chinese commerce from the perspective of the broader global context, and some comparative studies are conducted between historical China and ancient Greece, Rome, medieval, and modern Europe, to deepen the understanding of Chinese commerce.