Research On Wuhan Merchants In Ming & Qing Dynasties

In Ming and Qing dynasties, Wuhan became the regional center of business and economy with the rise of Hankow town. Wuhan, a national transfer center of commodity, witnessed the mass of merchants and the abundance of commodity. Merchants from all over the country formed a special group in Wuhan. Although they had many differences, they did jointly push the trade development of Wuhan. This article studies on Wuhan merchants from several aspect, Such as the conditions and factors that made Wuhan as a business center, Wuhan merchants in different regions and industries, and the organization and culture of Wuhan merchants. It attempts to re-illustrate the business scale and merchants' social status in Wuhan. It also aims to probe the relationships between merchant activity, trade development, and urban economic development as well as the function that the merchant organizations played in business activity and development.The population growth, economy development, and social custom change in Ming and Qing dynasties accelerated the rapid development of Chinese business. In this significant historic background, Wuhan became the prosperous business city by taking advantage of its location and transportation. Wuhan merchants pushed the development of Wuhan economy, speeded up the commodity circulation in Wuhan market, and strengthened the economic relationship between Wuhan and its adjoining regions. As a result, it made both adjoining regions and Wuhan markets prosperous.The establishment of merchant organization increased the merchants' contact and protected their benefits. Merchants kept communications, maintained social benefits, protected themselves, and standardized business conducts by the established merchant organization, which played a very important role in affecting merchants' activity.The ultimate purpose of the author's research on Wuhan merchants is to seek the law of merchants, business, and urban development, and to provide certain advices on the development of business and city in today's society.