The origin of the word "company"

The word "company" is not imported, but actually a combination form with gang nature in Fujian rural areas in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Later, this name was first used by Hong Men in Fujian and Guangdong provinces (namely "Heaven and Earth Society") in overseas Chinese communities. At that time, more than 70,000 overseas Chinese from Chaozhou, Meizhou and Hailufeng in Guangdong went to Nanyang Borneo to make a living. They are divided into more than twenty groups. Most of the members of these groups are children of "Hong Men", and their organizations are called "companies". One of the most famous is the Jusheng Company organized by Meixian people. Later, in A.D. 1777, "Lanfang Company" was established in Borneo (now West Kalimantan), also known as "Lanfang Great Control" and "Lanfang * * * Republic". At that time, the "Doris Company" was as large in scale and powerful as a small "* * * Republic". Its authority is "grand control", and the central government has a "public bank" with administrative, legislative and educational departments. Luo Fangbo, the first head of state, called it "grand control", similar to the "president" of the Republic. The Lanfang Company in this country existed for 108, and it was not until 1885 that the Dutch "East India Company" swept across Java Island that the Lanfang Company founded by overseas Chinese came to an end and completed its "historical mission".

Since the end of "Lanfang Company", the children of "Hong Men" at home and abroad have continued to use various names of "companies" to carry out anti-Qing activities. The most famous one is Yixing Company, which is active in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. 1853, the "Knife Club" active in southern Fujian also adopted the name of "Yixing Company". On the first day when the Knife Club occupied Xiamen, the Knife Club posted notices on the streets of Xiamen. At the end of the notice, the seal of "Dahan Tiande Yixing Company Letter" was stamped. Even now, Hong Men organizations all over Southeast Asia still include Hongyishun Company, Yixing Company, Hong Men Hexin Company, Kuncheng Company, Hecheng Company, Watsons Company, Sheng Xing Company, Xinyi Company, Xinhe Company.

In a word, the name of the company initially has a strong political color, rather than a simple economic entity organization. As an organizational form of economic enterprises, companies with profit-making corporate bodies only appeared after the Opium War. Wei Yuan, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, wrote the book "Four Articles on Raising the Sea" during the Daoguang period after the Opium War, saying: "In more than ten countries in Guangdong, there are scattered businesses without companies, but only Britain has them. For the company, dozens of business capitals operate. When they go out, they will work together. When they come back, they will be divided equally. Their game will be big and they will pass. " This is China's earliest explanation of the company's information from the perspective of capitalist economic structure. Since then, the word company has gradually become a special term in the economic field.

Defendant: nick2008

A company in the common law system refers to a person who jointly engages in certain business activities according to law and voluntarily forms a limited liability legal person.

A company in the modern scientific sense generally refers to a legal person enterprise that is jointly established by raising funds according to law, has independent registered assets, operates independently and is responsible for its own profits and losses.

As for the origin of the company, I understand that it should be a companion to the development of capitalism. However, China ancient feudal society also had an explanation. Zhuangzi said: "A company is called a company." . Its meaning is also roughly the same as that of modern companies.