Research On The Jiangnan Rural Association In The Republic Of China

The united society is not only a mutually-cooperated organization but also a mode of private lending, which has played a positive role in adjusting farm finance. It is extremely popular in rural areas in the regions south of the Yangtze River, and has a large quantity and wide distribution. Therefore, the study and analysis on the co-prosperity background, development,advantages, features, functions as well as its fading process of the united society in regions south of the Yangtze River is worthy, which will not only help deepen the understanding of the united society and show readers more detailed and elaborate information about the regional features of the united society in regions south of the Yangtze River. Meanwhile, this is also an important way for readers to understand the economic situation in the southern countryside from the perspective of rural finance, which can help further reflect the economic development of farmers at that time.The united society is essentially a private credit mutual organization where the first member will invite several people from the neighborhood or relatives as associate members and all the members are required to invest a certain amount of money and take turns to get the money. Actually,the united society has prevailed in the Tang and Song Dynasty, and the types and modes are basically formed in the mid-Qing Dynasty and then it is extremely popular in rural areas in regions south of the Yangtze River in the period of the Republic of China. A lot of reasons account for the united society’s prosperity in the Republican China:besides its long-time development, the frequently occurred natural disasters and the high cost of weddings and funerals in southern areas, which make the farm families in debt, are responsible for its flourish. Moreover, lack of official national financial institutions and inefficient operation in rural areas, contribute to the prevailing of the united society in the period of the Republic of China.The united society in regions south of the Yangtze River is not only diverse in types and prominent in regional characteristics but also perfect in operational mechanism and flexible in money-receiving ways, which shows typical specialties in regions south of the Yangtze River. Founded in the traditional local society, the united society takes low-interest mutual assistance as the fundamental characteristic, credit cooperation as the protection mechanism, and rotating as its own characteristic and enjoys flexible lending and simple operations, thus making the united society occupy an important position in the farm finance. The united society not only meet the needs of borrowing money of farmers and make up for the lack of money supply problems caused by the formal financial institutions, and promote the development of farm economy.To the period of late Republic of China, regions south of the Yangtze River were turbulent in social environment and farmers suffered increase poverty with the gradual declining of rural economy. Thus, drawbacks of the united society also gradually revealed. Cases that old farmers defaulted and the members joined other unites society would continue to occur, making the united society decline by and by.