Huizhou Businessmen

Huizhou businessmen are the general call of businessmen living in Huizhou area; it is also called Xinan businessmen. Huizhou businessmen appeared in East Jin Dynasty and grew in Tang and Song Dynasties; it was popular and blossoming in Ming Dynasty but declined in the late period of Qing Dynasty.

The characteristics of Huizhou Businessmen in the development period:

1、it was over-spread all over the China, and equally famous as Jin Businessmen. 2、it operated diverties of products such as salt, cotton, food, impawn the ink and brushes and so on. 3、they were diligent, thrifty and hardworking. Generally they operated the business with a small scale. 4、strong capital support, such as Xiuning man called Ren Fuguang specially dealt with the salt operation, and he had four big business fleets. The sales capacity covers roughly half selling capacity of the salt market. At the end of ruling time of Emperor Qianlong in Qing dynasty, the surplus custom was 850,000 liang silvers annually, and in the exported goods, the tea of Huizhou businessmen was ranked the first place. 5. They paid more attention to the operation doctrine. The operation theme was honesty, loyalty and equality, so they were highly reputed. 6、profit and benefit they got, they used to reward their hometown. They emphasized the public business and the infrastructure establishment.

The products businessmen operated were mainly famous for salt, impawn, tea and wood, and then the rice, cotton cloth, silk, paper, ink, chinaware and so on. Huizhou businessmen also operated the property other than the diversities of business and transportation. Businessmen of Xiuning County established the iron core mill; businessmen of Shexian County opened the dyeing paper mill. Huizhou businessmen were influential in China, and it is also largely reflecting the traditional aspect of Chinese people’s life and social regulation.