Chapter 10 The beginning and end of the pawnshop ticket number

Not long ago, the Pingtung Cooperative Bank suddenly discovered that an employee had embezzled as much as 40 million public funds in a year or so without anyone noticing.Chatting with a few friends, I talked about that although the organization of pawnshops back then was older, but in terms of management and restraint, it was methodical and indeed unique! According to the records in the classics, there was a so-called pawn business in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. Looking at the private notes of the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, as well as poems and songs, there are stories and chants about pawns, which proves that since the Tang Dynasty, the pawn business has become a social phenomenon. Mortgage lending is an indispensable legal industry.

The pawn industry is roughly divided into four categories: pawn, pawn, pledge, and pledge, which are divided according to the amount of capital, interest rate, and length of time. The pawn industry is naturally the largest in scale, followed by pawn and pledge. Let's take the Qing Dynasty as an example. Before the government established official bank financial institutions, whether it was imperial treasury collection, local taxes, and various miscellaneous income from co-payments, some provinces stipulated that they could be deposited in the Dian to generate interest.However, the interest rate is lower than the general private interest rate, only seven or eight percent, and the maximum interest rate cannot exceed one cent. In some barren provinces, the highest interest rate is less than one cent. This is the safest, most reliable, and profitable business for businessmen. up.However, not every family is qualified to do this. It must first pass the examination of the local government office and issue a "public code" certificate to officially accept the money deposited by the government. Quasi-undertaker of this business.This is where the pawns were divided earlier.

In the last years of Kangxi, all provinces with a vast territory, dense population, and abundant financial resources, because the treasury funds are sufficient, if they report to the Ministry of Households for approval, they can also make accommodations, allocate part of the treasury funds, and store them in designated pawnshops. The following interest rate shall not exceed eight per cent. This kind of pawn shop is called "imperial tax code".At the time of the Qing Dynasty, the whole country was divided into 18 provinces, and almost every province had several gongdians.As for the pledge for ordinary citizens, there are more!But the strangest thing is that there are pawnshops everywhere in the streets and alleys of the emperor's capital. The so-called public documents are extremely rare. Even pledges or pledges are more in the south than in the north. Pledges can be seen everywhere in southern provinces. Less and less.

According to a person in the pawn industry: "In the era of Shunzhi, Beijing was still a 'Gong Dian'. Later, since pawnshops could deposit money in the treasury, the provinces released large amounts of money from the treasury. Once they arrived in Beijing, they would immediately go to the Ministry of Households to pay. Bo, in terms of business, they can’t compete with pawnshops, and they are gradually eliminated. In contrast, in the central and southern provinces, in the Shanghai Concession before the Northern Expedition, pawns, pawns, pledges, and pledges were available. Gambling caves abound, pawnshops and small bets are popular, betting wins are immediately redeemed, and betting losers are mostly dead. Until the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the pawns are gone, and the pledges are also invisible, leaving only the pawnshops. "

In the past, the author had a squad leader who taught abacus, Mr. Bao, who was born in a pawn shop. Not only could he use both hands to calculate the abacus at the same time, but he could also move his fingers like a fly.He said: "The words written on the pawnshop are dragon flying and dancing in the wind. This is also a special technique of the pawnshop. It is not scribbled but has structure and brushwork. Anyone who eats pawnshops can know it at a glance. , the layman is the resurrection of the grass saint, and he can't recognize whether it is a heavenly script or a ghost painting talisman. An apprentice can be trained to formally issue pawn tickets, and he must have a dexterous mind. It takes at least more than a year to issue pawn tickets! Some people say that pawn shops Li Chaofeng is from Huizhou, but not necessarily so. For example, in the early years of Jiaqing and Kun’s house copying, he funded twelve pawnshops in Tongxian County, Beijing, and eight pawnshops owned by his family Liu Quan, some of which were not in Huizhou. Court worship. However, for pawns in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, one or two Huizhou court officials must be invited to inspect the value of jewelry, rare, calligraphy, painting, leather goods, etc. It is not bad. So everyone misunderstood that the pawns must be presided over by Huizhou people .”

In addition, the teacher of the class told us a history of pawning, which was unheard of.He said: "When I was studying business, I heard from the seniors that the pawnshop in the previous dynasty was connected to the back wall of the county government. Not to mention the high wall of the pawnshop, even the Fuling lintel of the welcoming door is thick and strong, especially A painted wooden fence with an inch and a half square is added outside the door, which becomes a unique sign of the pawnshop, and people can know that it is a pawnshop at a glance. On the surface, it is to prevent theft and robbery, but in fact, it also prevents the deacons in the pawnshop from slipping away and fleeing. Factors included, because the people in the pawnshop at that time were all prisoners in the prison. Anyone who has dealt with the pawnshop always felt that the counter of the pawnshop was very high, thinking that going to the pawnshop was to ask for help, so the pawnshop had to show It's high above, but I guessed it completely wrong. Because they are all prisoners in the prison, and their feet are shackled, which makes people look embarrassed, and at the same time prevents them from escaping. Besides, the people who enter the pawn shop are all urgent , I always think that the value of the item should be pawned as much as possible, but the idea of ​​the pawn shop is just the opposite. They are afraid of death and will not redeem it, and try to keep the price as low as possible. The two parties often have quarrels because the pawn price is high and the pawn price is low. The counter is unattainable. It can reduce some unnecessary entanglements." What the class teacher said is confirmed by the facts, and it is indeed reasonable, but I have not found out the reason from the books and periodicals, so I have to leave it for further examination.

The major pawnshops in Beiping also have the so-called trustworthy method.There has always been a saying in the Qing Dynasty that officials in Beijing were poor. Because officials in Beijing were poor, nine out of ten officials were poor.When it comes to Chinese New Year, or when there is a festive or funeral event, and you can't make preparations for a while, you can get one or two large suitcases, and it doesn't matter if you stuff some broken and worthless things in them, just lock them and seal them.If the pawn shop knows that the old man is trustworthy, it is not a problem to be a pawn, but he must redeem it when it expires, otherwise the casserole and garlic will become a one-shot deal, next time you plan to trust it , then don’t open your mouth.

The pawnshops of the Qing Dynasty were quite developed during the Qianlong period. At that time, there were as many as 600 or 700 pawnshops in Beijing. For funds, cooperate with pawnshops; because pawnshops are well-organized and reliable, they can lend money without risk of loss.Later, all royal funds managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs were also deposited in pawns to earn interest.The rent collected by the Ministry of Households was fined by the tax bureaus, and the princes and ministers were punished for their crimes. The criminal officials confiscated the money for the price of the family property, and the £ was effective. Even the funds and salaries of the government offices at all levels were gradually changed. It is taken for granted that it is a matter of course.In fact, before there was no ticket number, the pawnshop industry had already become a de facto financial institution at that time.When I was a child, I only heard that a certain pawnshop was robbed by a mob with weapons, which is called a pawnshop robbery. I seldom heard of a pawnshop that closed down due to poor management.

After talking about the pawn shop, it’s time to talk about the ticket number. Because the main business of the bank is money exchange, it’s called a money exchange shop, and because the ticket bank was originally founded by Shanxi people, and nine out of ten of the ticket numbers are operated by Shanxi people. So it is also called Shanxi ticket shop. In the past, Liang Shiyi, known as the God of Wealth in the financial circle, said that when China had a bank account, there are different opinions.Although there is no case to document now, but according to the legend of the elders in the financial industry, since the "Chuang Wang" Li Zicheng included the gold and silver treasures obtained by plagiarism, he fled from Beijing in embarrassment and hid in Kang's house in Shanxi. Fleeing to Jiuguan Mountain, he was so poor that he hanged himself to death, and all the wealth fell into the hands of the Kang family.

The Kang family suddenly became billionaires, so they made a trick to win, from North China to South China, his business became more and more prosperous, and within a few years, it spread to all major cities across the country.In order to support each other and facilitate mutual adjustment of positions, those related companies set up a general bank in Taiyuan, Shanxi City, with total financial power.Due to the strong capital and flexible use, ordinary firms can't compete with other companies, and of course they make a lot of money.Capital and profit are equal, and the business area is gradually extended to the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and then the Pearl River and Minjiang River basins, and the momentum of wealth is getting stronger.Shanxi's rich merchants and rich men followed suit. Later, almost all towns and towns across the country had bank accounts run by Shanxi people.

The earliest ticket numbers were concentrated in the three counties of Qixian, Pingyao, and Taigu in Shanxi. Everyone called it the "Shanxi Gang", also known as the Three Great Gangs.Although the bank remittance business is almost monopolized by the Shanxi gang, over time, Li Jingchu from Hefei, Anhui, established Yuanshunrun and Yishanyuan, and Li Zhanyang, a wealthy man in Kunming, Yunnan, established Tianshunxiang bank to cooperate with the Shanxi gang. contend.During the heyday of the Anhui, Li, Dian and Li families during the Guangxu period of Tongzhi, there were as many as 20 or 30 semicolons in each of the major commercial ports across the country. In addition, some people said that the main business of the Kang family's bank is to facilitate the turnover of its related companies, and it cannot be regarded as an official bank.The first official ticket office was Wei Taihou opened by the owner of Weishengchang Silk and Satin Village in the first year of Qianlong. Some people think that Weitaihou’s business scope and organizational structure are still in the form of Weishengchang Silk and Satin Village’s outer cabinet, which is not an official ticket. No.During the Jiaqing period, although the Rishengchang bank opened by Rishengchang Pigment Co., Ltd. had the same bank name, they were financially independent and had different businesses. It was the first official bank.Later, Dadetong Tea House, Cunyi Publishing Store, Sanyang Wood Factory, and Qiansheng Yongliang Store all believed that ticket numbers were easy to prosper, and that currency and commodities could circulate and complement each other. In addition to their own business, they all used their own plaques to add tickets. village.In the early years of the Republic of China, Dadetong and Cunyigong simply shut down their old tea shop and cloth shop, and devoted themselves to running the ticket office. Until the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Dadetong was still a well-known name in the bank industry. According to the history of China's financial history: "Furman, the British who was in charge of the general taxation of China's customs, and the authority of Japanese economics, Saburo Heisei, said in their investigations into China's financial reports that China's bank accounts not only have a strict internal organization, but also adopt internal and external methods. The system of mutual involvement is invisibly consistent with the corporate management mode of European financial institutions. Especially in terms of credit, it is quite surprising. In one sentence'), there has never been any procrastination. Compared with European and Western countries, the practice of signing a contract in case of trouble is a proof of their credibility in the market, which is very trustworthy. "When it comes to business expansion, Heyiyuan had semicolons in Kobe, Nagasaki, Osaka, and Kyoto in Japan; Even India’s Punjab has its own branch; Da Deheng specializes in developing south, except for South China, as far as Laos, Vietnam, Siam and other countries; Da Deheng specializes in Northeast and Russia business.” According to the above record, it can be seen that the size, organization, and reputation of the ticket number were very trustworthy.Looking at the business scope of those bank accounts, at that time, the traffic was difficult, and they were able to overcome obstacles and expand to international trade. Their spiritual perseverance is really admirable.The author’s classmate Ren Xiangpyo was the young owner of Daedeok Tongtong Bank. As far as he knows, the majority of Shanxi Banks are jointly operated by three or five people, and there are no more than 20 or 30 sole proprietorships nationwide.In short, regardless of sole proprietorship and joint venture, all have unlimited liability. Some shares are 10,000 silver shares, and there are also 5,000, 3,000, and 1,000 shares.The year-end is made at the end of each year, and the big account is calculated once every three years, and the profits and losses are shared equally by shares, collectively referred to as silver shares.Each bank also has a manpower share, also known as a body share, which rewards hardworking and capable deacons.In the three-year division of large accounts, the allocation of human resources shares is given priority, which is also secretly consistent with the current advocacy of general enterprises to implement the employee stock ownership system.However, the bank of the bank has been well-established a few years ago. The employment of Shanxi ticket offices is limited to fellow villagers in Shanxi, and some employment scope is narrowed to the same county, or even only the same family.The ticket numbers all adopt the apprenticeship system, and the apprentices are all teenagers who know the basics, and they only need to know a little bit about writing and calculation.According to the rules, it takes three years and one festival to be considered as a full teacher, and only those who are smart and promising can be cultivated.Although there is no full teacher and no wages, only the purchase of clothes and daily pockets.In order to encourage him to move forward, he may be given a few cents of stock first, and after three years of calculation, the big account will be distributed according to the stock. The more prosperous the business, the greater the profit, and the stock will increase accordingly. Build a house and land. The peak of the business naturally needs to expand the scope, set up branch offices everywhere, and the candidate for the shopkeeper of the new branch must first consider sending a partner with a strong head office (unless no one really wants to go, you can hire outsiders).Since the shopkeepers of the semicolon are all local people, it is of course more reliable to take charge of business in other places, but there is an unwritten rule that no matter who they are, they are not allowed to bring their family members.On the surface, it means to keep the family members in the local area, and the head office has to take care of them nearby. In fact, it is tacit understanding to each other.Except for the semicolon shopkeeper, all expenses will be covered from the cabinet, even personal expenses will be paid from the cabinet.The monthly salary is sent home by the head office. After three years of service abroad, the big account is paid as soon as you return to the head office. If the accounts are clear and the operation is successful, the boss will immediately increase the human resources department in addition to feasting, entertainment, rewards and celebrations. It can be said that It’s the return of clothes and brocades, going home to reunite with the old and the young, so that you can live a comfortable and leisurely life, and then adjust or return to work.If you are careful like this, after 20 years or so, you will be able to open a village and set up a name and pick up a plaque as the owner. If he unfortunately dies in office, his shares will be profitable. As long as the stock number exists for one day, the dividends will be paid without fail. number work. This set of rigorous and pragmatic management methods, as long as you can rank among the stock companies, as long as you are rigorous in your management and make no mistakes, your career can be guaranteed, your life can be stable, and you don’t even have to worry about food and clothing in this life. Yin and his wife and children.In the simple society back then, who could not work hard to hold this golden rice bowl firmly, and serve the public with all their hearts? Mr. Kong Yongzhi is a native of Taigu, Shanxi Province. His predecessors had an outstanding reputation in operating bank accounts. He has two comments on bank accounts: "Move without supervision, and inspect without inspection." These two sentences can be said to be correct. Comments on the ticket number penetrating into it. From Qianjia in the Qing Dynasty to before the Gengzi boxer incident, it can be said that it was the golden age of bank accounts. There were more than forty bank accounts in the north and south of the country, and Shanxi accounted for half of them.The reason why it was so developed was that the traffic was not smooth at that time, and it was difficult to transport cash. All the provinces had to send their salaries to Kyoto. Overseas trade became more frequent. Different sizes are divided into regions, contracted and contracted, can't everyone be happy, and everyone will get rich? But the good times didn’t last long. After the Revolution of 1911 and the Wuchang Uprising, the whole country was in turmoil and people’s hearts fluctuated. The three towns of Wuhan immediately became the financial center. Closing accounts to suspend operations.This stagnation didn’t matter, it immediately affected the overall situation. At this time, banks were rising, and there were clear regulations on lending. Anyone could borrow money from banks with physical collateral.Bank deposits are divided into demand deposits, regular deposits, and lump sum payments, which are as convenient as possible for customers.Compared with the old rules of the bank, the interest rate is only two to three per cent, or even not calculated. Compared with the two, the bank's business is naturally inferior to that of the bank.Coupled with the decline of the world, people's hearts are not old, and in terms of lending, if you miss it all at once, you will lose everything.Bank deposits are profitable, and all procedures are handled according to the regulations. Of course, the reputation is increasing day by day, and the ticket number is eliminated.After the victory, there is not a single bank in every province in the country. Even the Datong Bank, which was run by Xiao Zhenying, the only remaining one, was changed to Datong Bank due to the trend of the times.