What are the five biggest businessmen in history?

Commercial gangs are commercial groups linked by regional relations in the history of our country. They have accumulated a large amount of capital and developed businesses in their respective regions, which have had an important impact on the history of our country.

The Ming and Qing Dynasties in China were a very developed era of commerce, and at the same time, five major business gangs appeared in this period, namely Shanxi merchants, Huizhou merchants, Zhejiang merchants, Shandong merchants and Guangdong merchants.

Although these five commercial groups were formed at different times, they all dominated the folk trade in modern China to a certain extent, influenced the national economy and formed the magnificent landscape of national commerce in China.

First, Shanxi merchants

Shanxi merchants refer to Shanxi merchants who mainly engaged in salt industry, tea and banks during the five hundred years of Ming and Qing Dynasties, among which banks are the most famous.

The rise of Shanxi merchants is in step with the development of China's commodity economy. With the increasingly fierce commercial competition, in order to strengthen their own strength and safeguard their own interests, Shanxi merchants began to appear in the form of commercial organizations.

At first, Shanxi merchants were funded by well-funded businessmen to hire local businessmen, and * * * cooperated with merchants to make profits, becoming a loose group of businessmen. Later, it developed into an oriental partnership system, similar to the shareholding system. This is a great pioneering work of Shanxi merchants, and it is also an important reason for their enduring.

In the process of Shanxi merchants dominating, a certain * * set up three monuments, namely, camel gang, boatgang and ticket number.

Camel gang is mainly engaged in foreign tea trade. They transported tea to Russia and Mongolia by camel teams heading north and west. Ships appeared in the middle of Qing Dynasty. Due to the development of commodity economy, the currency circulation has increased sharply. At that time, the domestic copper production was very low, and Yunnan copper industry alone could not meet the demand for coinage. In this case, Shanxi merchants organized shippers to buy foreign copper for foreign trade.

The biggest innovation of Shanxi merchants is the "ticket number", also called "ticket village" or "exchange village". It is a financial institution specializing in exchange business. The most famous bank is the "Rishengchang" bank we are familiar with.

Shanxi merchants have a prominent position in modern history. Until now, there is still a saying in our society that "Shanxi people are good at doing business and managing money".

Shanxi merchants developed into the Qing Dynasty and became the most powerful business gang in China. World economic historians also compare Shanxi businessmen with Italian businessmen and give them high praise.

The development of Shanxi merchants not only brought great wealth to Shanxi merchants, but also changed the concept of "learning officials" at that time.

Second, Huizhou merchants

Huizhou merchants, also known as "Xin 'an merchants" and commonly known as "Hui Gang", are the general names of Huizhou merchants or merchant groups in the old society.

Huizhou was called Zhou She and Xin 'an in ancient times. One government governs six counties, namely Shexian, yi county, Xiuning, Qimen, Jixi and Wuyuan. The government governs Shexian Huicheng. The first four counties belong to Huangshan City, Anhui Province, Jixi County belongs to Xuancheng City, Anhui Province, and Wuyuan County belongs to Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province.

Huizhou merchants flourished in Ming Dynasty. The business scope of Huizhou merchants is mainly salt, pawn, tea and wood, followed by rice, grain, silk, paper, ink and porcelain.

In addition to engaging in various commercial and trafficking industries, Huizhou merchants also run industries directly. For example, Zhu Yun, a businessman from Xiuning, mined iron ore in Fujian, and Ruanbi, a businessman from Shexian, set up a paper printing and dyeing factory in Penghu. They produce and sell at the same time, integrating industry and commerce. Wang Fuguang, a merchant from Xiuning, sells salt between the Yangtze River and Huaihe River. He owns more than 1000 ships, and the scale can be imagined. Huizhou merchants are all over the country, just like Shanxi merchants, and there are footprints of Huizhou merchants everywhere. Huizhou merchants' time-honored brands include scissors, Hu Qingyutang Chinese medicine shop founded by Hu Xueyan, broad bean hot sauce, stinky tofu and teahouse founded by a generation of sauce king Hu.

"Huizhou merchant spirit" has always been the commercial spirit that people admire, such as patriotism, enterprising, competition, diligence, dedication and team spirit.

Third, Zhejiang businessmen

Zheshang generally refers to a collection of businessmen and industrialists from Zhejiang. Zhejiang has successively produced famous Zhejiang businessmen groups such as Huzhou, Shaoxing, Wenzhou, Taizhou and Yiwu.

In the Ming Dynasty, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces were one of the more developed areas in China, with a developed commodity economy, which also produced the early capitalist bud in China. In the late Qing Dynasty, Zhejiang merchants became one of the backbone of China's national industry and commerce, which greatly promoted the modernization of China's industry and commerce. The characteristics of Zhejiang businessmen are amiable, * * * winning, low-key and enterprising. Generally speaking, the most active businessman is Wen Shang, the most bitter businessman is Shao, the most active city is Yiwu, the most representative businessman is Ningbo Gang, and the lowest-key Zhejiang businessman is Shang Yue.

Fourth, Shandong businessmen.

Shandong merchants were commercial groups in Ming and Qing Dynasties. They are world-famous for their business philosophy of "taking morality as the foundation, putting righteousness first and benefiting righteousness", which has a profound historical origin and strong vitality.

Lu merchants combined Qi's industrial and commercial thoughts during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period with Shandong's urban commodity economy and characteristic economy, which were actively and universally praised by the society, such as "benevolence, courtesy, wisdom and faithfulness" and "gentleness, courtesy and frugality" in Confucianism, which flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there have been many businessmen who run industrial and commercial offices in Shandong, and their business model is "front shop and back workshop", such as the businessmen who produce and operate sesame cakes and cloth in Zhoucun. Zhoucun became the largest commercial center in northern China, and its monthly tax revenue was once equivalent to one year in Shaanxi Province.

Under the influence of the developed market economy, Shandong businessmen have formed a unique culture of Shandong businessmen: righteousness, honesty, charity and entertainment.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) Guangdong businessman

Guangdong businessmen rose in Ming and Qing Dynasties, when China's capitalism was still in its infancy. Guangdong businessmen rely on Guangdong's human and geographical environment, developed handicrafts and close ties with overseas countries to form another big business gang in China.

Guangdong businessmen are mainly engaged in trade and transportation. With the expansion of commodity circulation in Guangdong, the development of commodity economy and the arrival of the climax of overseas migration, Guangdong businessmen have risen, and they have made a fortune in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Chaoshan areas.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Guangdong merchants traveled all over the country, and Guangdong guilds were widely distributed throughout the country. Guangdong businessmen even crossed the ocean, and Guangdong guildhall gradually spread all over the world.

In the Qing Dynasty, the 13th Guangzhou Bank became the only foreign trade window in China, and Guangdong businessmen were once prominent in the foreign trade comprador industry. After opening the port, it gradually transformed into a modern businessman and became one of the largest business gangs in modern China.