Interview with Liang: Why did the prosperous salt merchants in Qing Dynasty decline?

2065438+0165438 On October 20th, 2004/KLOC-0, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology confirmed that China would cancel the salt monopoly, ending the salt monopoly system for more than 2,000 years.

Why did the central government monopolize the salt industry in history? Liang believes that the goal of a centralized and autocratic country is to strengthen the country, and the strong country will increase its income. In the traditional era, the two most important items of national finance are population land tax and salt tax. Salt tax accounts for half of the national income, sometimes slightly higher. This is the most fundamental reason why the state directly controls the operation of salt industry. In the history of China's salt policy, the salt-Taiwan law, the relationship between officials and businessmen, salt smuggling and salt merchants in Huai River and Huai River are all key contents.

Recently, the TV series "Salt Merchants in Qing Dynasty" with the background of "the case of salt diversion from Huaihe River in the thirty-third year of Qianlong" is being broadcasted. This print interviewed Liang, an economist, and asked him to explain the rise and fall of salt merchants in the history of China for us.

Paper: How did the official salt industry appear in history and what changes did it undergo?

Liang: Salt and Iron Official Camp has a very long history in China. It was not until last year that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the cancellation of the salt franchise that the salt franchise ended.

The monopoly of salt industry can be traced back to Guan Zhong of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period. In order to make Qi powerful, Guan Zhong set up a "state-owned enterprise". One is salt monopoly to control the salt trade; The other is a brothel run by the government. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the early Western Han Dynasty, the salt monopoly system was not strict, and it was basically in a state of free trade. Until the Western Han Dynasty, when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Sang Hongyang advocated salt and iron monopoly. Since then, the salt monopoly system has been basically stable in the history of China.

Generally speaking, there are two kinds of salt monopoly systems. One is the direct monopoly system, that is, the state completely monopolizes the whole process of salt production and sales; The second is the indirect monopoly system, that is, the state monopolizes salt production and allows businessmen to participate in salt sales. This is the case with official salt merchants. Salt policy has undergone many changes and adjustments in history.

Stills of Salt Merchants in Qing Dynasty

First of all, I want to talk about the salt policy reform in Ada in the Tang Dynasty.

The salt policy reform in Tang Dynasty was more than once. Salt tax was not levied in the early Tang Dynasty, and it was only levied in the Kaiyuan period. After the Anshi Rebellion, in order to alleviate the difficulty that the government could not make ends meet, Su Zonggan, in the first year of Yuan Dynasty (A.D. 758), was appointed as the salt and iron ambassador in the fifth term, reformed the salt policy, and implemented the salt monopoly system of civil service, official collection, official transportation and official sales, and made huge profits by completely controlling the production and management of salt. However, the central government is still weakening.

In the second year of Baoying (762), Tang Daizong appointed Ada as the salt and iron transshipment ambassador, responsible for the reform of salt law. Ada's reform is to prepare for military pay, strengthen the central government's power over the whole country, and accumulate economic power to eliminate the power of the buffer regions. Ada adopted the new salt law of civil service, official mining, commercial transportation and commercial sales, and implemented the policy of "profit sharing between officials and businessmen", that is, the production of salt was given to the people and retailed to businessmen. The state controls the wholesale link, that is, the official salt business, which is the so-called "semi-monopoly".

This way of salt monopoly was basically inherited in the later Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, that is, * * * organized ordinary people to produce salt, and * * * sold the produced salt to merchants, who sold it, but there were also changes in the process.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the law was opened, that is, merchants transported grain and grass to the northern frontier, and then the units that received grain and grass issued salt prices (that is, salt-taking certificates). Merchants bring salt to the saltworks to get salt, and then sell it in designated areas. In other words, the way of trade between officials and businessmen is to exchange salt for grain and grass, not for money. This is an imitation of the "salt method in millet" in the Song and Yuan Dynasties.

During Hongzhi's reign, Ye Qi, the minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, reformed the salt law, changed it to Nayin, and allowed salt merchants to go directly to Huaibei to exchange cash for industrial salt patents. Later, Yuan Shizhen presided over the reform of salt law in Wanli period, that is, steel salt system, also known as "steel law". In fact, this is a merchant monopoly system. * * * keeps a directory, which is the Compendium, also called "Woben". All salt merchants whose names are recorded in the Compendium can monopolize salt profits for generations, and anonymous people are not allowed to join as salt merchants.

Steel salt license in Guangxu period of Qing Dynasty

Then, who is qualified to enter the procedure and engage in salt trading? * * * is in charge. Businessmen are qualified to change salt and sell salt, which is called "occupying the nest". Then, businessmen who are closely related to * * * will become the beneficiaries of salt merchants. Therefore, * * * ensures that salt merchants monopolize patents by restricting competition, thus monopolizing the power of salt industry.

This system continued until the mid-Qing Dynasty, when Tao Shu, the governor of the two rivers and the salt policy, carried out salt policy reform in Huaibei area, changing from steel salt system to ticket salt system, canceling steel salt system, and businessmen did not need to occupy the nest. Anyone who takes the money can exchange salt for the salt trade.

This method was not initiated by Tao Shu. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhejiang and Shandong implemented the Pass Law. Ticket salt system has dealt a great blow to salt merchants in Huaibei and Huaihe rivers.

Paper: Salt merchants in the Qing Dynasty, especially in Yangzhou. Introduce the salt merchants in Yangzhou.

Liang: The Huaihe River Basin borders the Yellow Sea in the east and the Canal in the west. There are many salt fields along the coast, with low cost and high output. Therefore, a long time ago, the Huaihe River was an important salt-producing area. Yangzhou has the convenient transportation of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal.

Yangzhou salt merchants mainly include Shanxi merchants, Shaanxi merchants and Huizhou merchants. Why is it concentrated in Yangzhou? This is mainly related to the reform of salt law in Ye Qi in Ming Dynasty. With the opening of the law in the middle and early Ming Dynasty, the merchants engaged in trade and developing grain production in the border changed to Yin Na, and salt merchants from all walks of life in the northwest came to Huaiyang area to take root in business. This includes businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi. Yan Ruoqu of Ganjiapai was born in the family of feudal bureaucrats and salt merchants. His ancestors were businessmen who immigrated from Shanxi to Yangzhou.

In addition, about half of the salt merchants in Yangzhou are Huizhou merchants, who have geographical advantages and are familiar with the salt areas of Huaihe River and Huaihe River Basin. Moreover, Huizhou merchants have a good relationship with * * * and have political advantages.

Huizhou merchants attach importance to education and imperial examinations, and there are many family training officials. For example, Cao Wenzhao and Cao Zhenyong were both military ministers of the Qing Dynasty, who experienced three dynasties: Qianlong, Jiaqing and Daoguang, and their families were engaged in salt trade. In addition to the family members of the literati, Huizhou merchants did not hesitate to contribute generously, worked for the court, and were "loyal" to the salt administration and salt officials. Emperor Kangxi made six southern tours and Emperor Qianlong made seven southern tours, all from Huizhou merchants. Therefore, they can enter the class, occupy the nest and monopolize the salt trade. These Huizhou merchants buy a lot of salt, not only selling salt themselves, but also selling salt.

Paper: How does the relationship between officials and businessmen affect the rise and fall of salt merchants?

Liang: During the implementation of the Outline Law, salt merchants mainly relied on * * * to obtain the license to operate the salt industry, so the relationship between salt merchants and * * * was very close, whether it was Shanxi merchants or Huizhou merchants.

In the Ming Dynasty, there were two major salt merchants, Yongji salt merchant in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, and Yuncheng was formerly called Zhou Pu. Wang Chonggu of the Wangs is a scholar, an official to the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, a governor crossing mountains, Shaanxi and other frontier military affairs. The Zhang family is a member of the Zhang cabinet. After Zhang's death, he also briefly served as the cabinet record. Wang Chonggu's younger brother is engaged in salt trade, and Zhang Siwei's older brother is also a salt merchant. They monopolized the salt field in Hedong, and they are related. Wang Chonggu is Zhang Siwei's uncle. Wang and Zhang had money relations with the ministers of the Ministry of War and many cabinet officials in the Ming Dynasty, forming an official-business group in charge of salt affairs.

After the Qing Dynasty, Huizhou merchants had a very close relationship with * * *. Kangxi and Qianlong's southern tour were received by Huizhou salt merchants. Gardens built by Huizhou merchants, geisha and singers trained by Huizhou merchants, as well as Huizhou dishes, Huizhou classes, antiques and cultural relics, all need to bribe the royal family and officials. The life of Huizhou merchants in Yangzhou is very luxurious, which is reflected in Yangzhou Painting Boat. However, Mr. He Bingdi said that the corruption of Huizhou merchants' life is their own need and also their need to make good friends with the officialdom.

The relationship between officials and businessmen provides protection and convenience for salt merchants to monopolize operations and profiteer. The salt merchants in Huaibei, a general manager and a general manager. Dealing with * * * is the general manager. They used the money accumulated by salt merchants to bribe officials and gain benefits. We will separate them again.

Horsehead wall with Huizhou architectural characteristics

In the thirty-third year of Qianlong (1768), a case of Huai salt diverting the Huaihe River occurred, which caused the ruling and opposition parties to shake. This is the economic corruption of collusion between salt merchants and salt officials. In fact, this is a pre-planning case. Successive salt officials and salt transporters colluded with Huaibei salt merchants, eroding the pre-planning and attracting more than 10 million yuan.

What happened to this case? That is, salt merchants need to pay interest to the court to advance the salt payment, so they bribed salt officials to ask for a postponement of interest payment. Salt merchants keep bribing, and the interest they should pay is always delayed. After three salt officials, twenty years ago, * * * embezzled more than ten million yuan.

This also involves the donation and service of salt merchants. Whenever the state provides military supplies, disaster relief and river engineering, salt merchants provide hundreds of thousands or even millions of silver to the court in the name of "donation" and "service" The economic burden of salt merchants on the national finance is becoming heavier and heavier.

The paper holds that the relationship between officials and businessmen, on the one hand, gives shelter to salt merchants, on the other hand, it also causes economic burden to salt merchants. Do you think this is the main reason for the decline of salt merchants?

Liang: The burden of salt merchants is really getting heavier and heavier. During the Qianlong period, the miscellaneous tax paid for each salt introduction was 12 Liang, which later became 14 Liang. The country needs more and more money, and salt merchants have a heavy burden. This part is passed on to consumers, which is the skyrocketing price of salt. According to statistics, the boatman's expenditure on salt accounts for 20% to 40% of his income, which shows that the price of salt is high. Under such circumstances, private salt is rampant, making it more difficult for salt merchants to do business.