Market Fluctuation, Famous Shops in Yangzhou

Author: Yu Zhiqun / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The market had strict regulations. At noon, drums were beaten three hundred times to start trading, and three strokes before sunset, gongs (copper instruments) were struck three hundred times to halt trading. Shops within the market were called "shi," and areas where shi selling the same goods were concentrated were called "hang." Each hang had a "hangtou" responsible for paying taxes to the government. During the Later Han period, a saying circulated among the people: "To seek wealth from poverty, farming is inferior to craftsmanship, craftsmanship is inferior to commerce, and embroidery is inferior to relying on the market door." This shows that the traditional hierarchy of "scholar-farmer-artisan-merchant" had reversed in the pursuit of wealth.
Moreover, the ancient market operated on a "three-day cycle" (one meeting per day), but due to the increasing number of people and goods, it was later changed to a "four-day cycle." This additional meeting could have been an early market or a night market, but in any case, it was a driving force for commercial development.
During the Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou flourished thanks to the convenience of the Grand Canal dug by Emperor Yang of Sui, becoming a hub of water and land transportation in the southern and northern Yangtze River regions, creating highly favorable conditions for commercial growth. Legend has it that the "Xiao Shi Bridge" was named after Emperor Yang of Sui establishing a night market there. Qing Zong Wen Ding praised it: "Still remembering the prosperous nights by the river bridge, small markets in spring light cook a hundred sheep."
In the second year of the Tianbao era (743), the eminent monk Jianzhen of Yangzhou’s Daming Temple prepared items for his eastward journey to Japan, including Buddhist scriptures, statues, lacquerware, bronze ware, jade, fragrances, and various agricultural products weighing over 600 pounds, reflecting that Yangzhou had already become a large commercial metropolis with a wide variety of goods.
However, Yangzhou’s "prosperity unmatched under heaven" only reached its peak after the An Lushan Rebellion. In the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era (755), An Lushan rebelled, causing many northerners to flee south, with some settling in the Jianghuai region and others heading as far as the Jiangnan area to escape the chaos. The population of Yangzhou surged until the late Tang Dynasty. Luo Yin’s Record of the Wonders of Guangling stated: "The rich merchants and traders numbered in the hundreds."
During the Dali and Zhengyuan periods (766–805), Yangzhou had a female entrepreneur known as "Yu Dama," whose large sailing ships accommodated living, funeral, and wedding needs. She opened lanes into gardens and employed hundreds of workers. She traveled from Jiangxi in the south to Huai'an in the north once a year, earning substantial profits. (Annals of the State)
As for the poems reflecting Yangzhou’s prosperity, they are too numerous to list:
"Trees by the river are lush, ten miles of splendid brocade." (Weiyun’s Encountering Meng Jiuyun in Guangling)
"Under moonlight, the streets are wide, market bridges’ lights scattered like stars." (Zhang Hu’s Poem for Cui Jing in the Gengzi Year)
"Mountains reflect the evening glow of Nanxu, a thousand sails enter the ancient port." (Lu Lun’s)
In this bustling, crowded, and steamy capital city of Jianghuai, salt merchants were the most active, followed by tea merchants, then jewelers, and finally pharmacists. The development of commerce and craftsmanship made it impossible to strictly enforce the Tang government’s rule of ending trade three strokes before sunset.
"Thousand lanterns illuminate the blue clouds at night, red sleeves of guests fill the high towers," became a famous line describing the prosperity of Yangzhou’s night market.
In contrast, the Tang Dynasty’s Chang’an was a closed ancient city, with residents living in enclosed compounds, facing inward, with their backs to the main streets. Commerce was confined to designated "shi," not scattered with shops everywhere. The market opened at noon with drums and closed at sunset with gongs, under official supervision. Even on the main streets, drums were beaten at sunset, and pedestrians were not allowed to linger.
In the fifth year of the Kaicheng era (840), a document proposing the establishment of a night market in Chang’an reached the imperial desk. Emperor Xuanzong first listened to the wise advice of his ministers, then pondered for a long time before making a (red stamp): "The night market in the capital should be banned." This decision effectively canceled the night market in Chang’an for several years.
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