The Salt And The Salt Merchants In The Early Qing Dynasty

This paper mainly to the early Qing Dynasty, salt and salt as the research object,policy change and merchants were privileged status evolution angle, unfolding of thesalt merchants economic, social activities of the Qing Dynasty and the negativeinfluence of social morality study. In the discussion, to take the overall and individualmutual balance principle, both the overall summary of the characteristics of saltmerchants, and the merchants of representative case analysis. In the early QingDynasty salt change out at the same time, the salt merchants a privileged place in theform, profit mode and the enormous impact of social life also made the systemin-depth study.The paper shows that the salt merchants, privileged position forming has deephistorical roots, with the Ming and Qing Dynasties salt law reform has a profoundrelationship. Ming and Qing Dynasties of China’s feudal society transition period,resulting in a series of transformations, deeply affecting people’s politics, economiclife. As economic system of salt law reform is one such, in fact, the nine sides of theset has been pregnant with new economy change, can say, the nine frontier defensemore than the previous dynasties, nine side needed military, not just on the financialstrength of a challenge, but Chinese feudal society system challenge. In fact, at thetime just the Ming Dynasty it is difficult to rely on the power of the government tocomplete the nine edge military problems. This needs to absorb the folk strength tohelp the government to solve this problem, but not all of the folk strength can fill thepost, but the financial big. Thus, salt merchant was elected government dependentobjects. In order to let businessman active, active tasks, the need for salt merchantsand related system salt law reform, in a lot of plan, the government chose to allowmerchants to get material benefit, and solid work for the method, known as the law ofsalt monopoly. In fact, open salt is salt franchise merchant in exchange for money to amethod. On the implementation, not only the salt merchants to the stage, and thepolitical forces together, become a political power dependency. From the historydevelopment after that, salt has been under government control, and with them themonopoly continues to consolidate, and constantly strengthen. In the political reformof Ye Qi as a representative of the mid Ming salt reform, open, silver, to furtherstrengthen the salt monopoly privileges. At the same time, also led to the middleperiod of Ming Dynasty salt damage of salt merchants, as business class developmentabnormalities have also played a role. Ming Wanli period of the Yuan Shizhen reforms,in recognition of the " holder" have salt is brought at the same time, also identified alarge salt to salt to operate an absolute privilege. In the Ming Dynasty Qing Dynastysalt law inherited basis, also through the system level to consolidate the city ’sprivileged position, at the same time, regarded salt differentiation, especially, in thecity team in support of total business agent.Along with the system reform in the early Qing Dynasty, salt, salt merchants continued to strengthen and autocratic power relations. On one hand, we make everyattempt to imperial near Salt merchants. He became associated with the imperial tiesserve the best way in the Qing Dynasty, salt and other historical materials, this twowords become essential content, such as" the Qing salt law of" have" to give" specialcontribution to serve a record of salt merchants, officials in salt it is also on the salttransportation problem please donate to serve, in notes, but not the content of pan.Based on this matter the universality can be recorded Know, in the Qing Dynasty thedevelopment of salt industry, he is active to serve. The salt merchants contributed toserve the behavior, the article thinks, should be divided, quartermaster, preparation forpublic to serve, its negative larger, such as the quartermaster to serve not extensivehelp feudal government repression of the peasant uprising of behavior, and urgentbulletin effect contributing to the decay and luxury. For the river, it has positivesignificance to serve. River, relief itself is the country of good things, salt merchantsdonated by versus, on these public works smoothly, there is a certain role. In theserespects, salt merchants were often step forward bravely, this is a positive thing. Onone hand, salt and salt officials engaging in relationships, the collusion developmentof salt industry in Qing Dynasty, as a rotten thing. Imperial policy, system of decision,and salt is the executive officials. In the Qing Dynasty official and business marketingmanagement mode, the supervision of the government give Yanguan absoluteauthority, salt merchants as political support products, also inevitably to the managersof compromise. Good relationship between income and imperial free gift with salt,salt merchants operating officer at the given benefit much worse. Salt salt officer givevarious feeds, and even salt official partnership peddle salt, make its get lots of extraprofit income. Collusion is the negative things, from the official, is pushing them tocorruption, affect the officer wind honest and clean; in business, then led to itsprogress, and to mediate in the officialdom proud, affects the normal development ofcommercial.Salt merchants gained confidence in the government, do is to do everythingpossible to bring to the emperor and the Yanguan versus operating through thechannel back, get more profit. In the power under the protection of those ideas, havegot one’s wish. For the salt, salt is the main business of goods, the government ’s strictcontrol of salt for their products, not a restriction. To this, first of all, they passed theimperial grace, can reduce the number of salt tax of pay, add some salt, can have moresalt can sell. Secondly, through the Yanguan indulgence, can the illegal operation ofsome addition of salt, to obtain profits.Salt merchants become rich after the consumption trend is attention problems,generally speaking, the merchant versus cast more in the feudal land acquisition, tobenefit the rural music construction, the pursuit of luxury living waste. These threeelements, only benefit the rural music has a positive side, no matter rich merchants,why invest heavily in rural basic facilities construction and repair, these practices atleast as fellow people life benefit. While the merchant to invest construction offamilies, the clan as the main body of the feudal country, to rural social stability hasplayed a positive role. As for merchants, capital investment in land acquisition,reflecting the society as the active factor on natural forces of compromise. The merchant to pursue extravagant way of life, is the Qing Dynasty style have a directeffect on the matter, in the society at that time, a variety of luxury to merchants, totraditional agriculture society people simplicity is a great impact.In conclusion, salt merchants is the formation of a political product, is intended tosupport the regime autocratic monarchy, results, which makes the city with obvious becongenitally deficient. City and the autocratic monarchy regime to Qing Dynasty, nearto the wind produced undesirable effect; salt merchants in business in the illegalbehavior, to the commercial atmosphere also produced negative effect; the merchantextravagant consumption, for at that time the social honest folkway shaping, but alsoplayed a boycott and negative effects, and their extravagant way of life so far isunimaginable.