On The Relationship Between Huizhou Merchants And Huizhou Genealogy Compilation During The Ming And Qing Dynasties

Huizhou merchants known as the yeast effect of Huizhou culture have always been subjected to the attention of academia.So far,thousands of Huizhou genealogies which are the first-hand material of Hui Study still exist in the world.Huizhou people liked to do business during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.When became rich,most Huizhou merchants were willing to invest their money into family culture building,especially into the Huizhou genealogy compilation by the way of giving money or compiling them.This author tries to study on the relationship between Huizhou merchants and Huizhou genealogy compilation.There are three parts in the thesis.The first part is the introduction,the second part is the main body,and the third one is the conclusion.Chapter one is the introduction.In this chapter,the author not only explains the reasons of choosing the topic and the research value,combs the academic history of the study,but also summarizes the basic historical materials and clarifies the research ideas of the article.In the secend chapter,the author studied three main forms of Huizhou genealogy compilation that Huizhou merchants participated in during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.The first form was financial donation in genealogy compilation.Although it cost much to compile Huizhou Genealogy,the rich Huizhou merchants participated in it enthusiastically.The second form was presiding over Huizhou genealogy compilation.Some Huizhou merchants had high literacy,they compiled genealogy by themselves.The third one is organizing the activity of Huizhou genealogy compilation.They either launched it,or contacted their clan members to participate in it actively.What’s more,they undertook both material collection and fund management task.The author holds the point that these three forms mentioned above shows that Huizhou merchants had a great financial resources and ability in their genealogy compilation.Chapter Three probes into four reasons that Huizhou merchants involved in their genealogies compilation from Ming to Qing Dynasty.The author discusses it in four aspects.Firstly,Huizhou had a tradition of compiling Huizhou genealogies.Most Huizhou people had a strong focus on the idea of genealogy compilation,they repaired spectrum continuity and paid much attention to the preservation of Huizhou genealogy which had a huge impact on Huizhou merchants.Secondly,the job of genealogy compilation was complex and difficult,due to its complex spectrum program,merous staff and big cost which only merchants could afford.Thirdly,there was some relation between the rise and fall of Huizhou clan and Huizhou merchants.This could be seen in many ways:Huizhou genealogy played a link role in Huizhou clan,Huizhou clan is the cornerstone of Huizhou merchants development,and Huizhou genealogy compilation shew both belongingness and responsibility which was valued by Huizhou merchants.For the consideration of clan’s benefit,Huizhou merchants actively participated in Huizhou genealogy compilation.Forthly,in order to go down in history,most Huizhou merchants were actually volunteered their time and money.Chapter four analyzes the positive impact on Huizhou genealogy compilation exerted by Huizhou merchants during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.The strong financial and social impact of Huizhou merchants was an important guarantee of Huizhou genealogy compilation.For one thing,Huizhou merchants were suitable for compiling genealogy not only because of their financial resources,but also because of their mastering a large amount of information without which the integrality of genealogies could not be ensured.For another,with the help of Huizhou merchants,the quality of Huizhou genealogy both in their content and in their appearance design was improved.The fifth chapter summarizes the effect of Huizhou genealogy compilation on the development of Huizhou merchants from Ming to Qing Dynasty.It was the Huizhou genealogies that enhanced the status of Huizhou merchants.Firstly,the viewpoint of four kind of people and the concept of frugality advocated in Huizhou genealogies not only affirmed the rationality of Huizhou people in business,but also guided their healthy development.Secondly,there were some successful merchants recorded in Huizhou genealogy which was helpful to improve the social status of Huizhou merchants.Thirdly,by summing up Huizhou merchants’ successful business experience and social life,Huizhou genealogy enhanced the business confidence of Huizhou merchants.Fourthly,Huizhou genealogy provided various useful resources for the development of Huizhou merchants and their construction of commercial network.At the end of the thesis,the author summarizes all viewpoints mentioned before and enhances the research conclusion.