중국 晉商의 상업 활동에 관한 史的 연구

Abstract

This paper is a historical study investigating commercial activities of Jin Shang which was the greatest merchant group as free civilian merchants in the era of the Chinese Ming and Ching. The main focus of this paper is on the historical examination of the commercial activities by periodically classifying the trade with Russia. Especially it aimed at the systematic consideration the trade with Russia. This study analyzed Jin Shang’s tea trade with Russia by dividing the tea trade periods into germinal, growing, maturing and declining stages. The results of historical examination of their commercial activities are as follows; First, the Jin Shang’s commercial management was found to have evolved continuously. In the early stage, Shan Xi merchants generated revenues by non-equivalent exchanges through the monopolistic cornering and hoarding. In the next stage, the opportunity has been expanded to acquire economic benefits in both producer and consumers by distributing products nationally and combining producer and consumers. Specifically, financial business was developing into financial service business involving exchange business that smoothed the money settlement following product distribution. Second, Jin Shang had close relationship with the Ching dynasty. Therefore, prepared Shan Xi merchant could take a lot of opportunities and profits due to the Ching dynasty’s mercantilism. The Mongolian and Russian tea trade was monopolistic trade based on Long Piao, a privilege which Ching government has given Shan Xi Piao Hao. The Ching dynasty was defeated in the tea war with Russia, and innovatively established Shan Xi Piao Hao disappeared without a trace after the fall of Ching dynasty. Third, merchants gained lots of commercial profits which included profits from monopoly and profits arising from shortening distribution channels. Fourth, they developed many cities. The area of Jin Shang’s commercial activities was far-reaching. In particular a large number of cities developed along the trade channel with Russia. Shan Xi merchants passed through these cities and developed regional economy by, say, employing local people. A few academic suggestions of this study are that innovations, in every age, are accompanied by many opportunities, and unceasingly pathfinding and challenging mind and network construction in global market dimension still provide effective meaning to corporate activities even these days. Furthermore, managers should constantly build up future-oriented strategies by means of information collection and environment analysis since there are inseparable relationships between the government policies and corporate policies.