Chapter 2 Section 2 Merchant, Merchant, Commerce

Barter exchange, as well as the exchange in which the producer meets the needer directly through currency, collectively referred to as direct exchange, cannot be regarded as commerce.When exchanges become more frequent and the area of ​​exchange continues to expand, and it is impossible for both producers and buyers to meet directly, some people come out of the society to buy and sell, acting as intermediaries between producers and buyers; organizing exchanges has become their profession; With this social division of labor, merchants and commerce emerged.Why are people and trades specialized in exchange called merchants and commerce?It turns out that this has something to do with the Shang Dynasty in history.

In the Xia Dynasty, the Shang tribe was famous for being good at exchanging.The leader of the tribe, Wang Hai, represented the tribe and often traded with other tribes with livestock and other items.In a trade to the north of the Yellow River near Yishui, Di Renyouyi killed Wang Hai and took away his ox cart and "servant cattle" (cows are trade goods, servants are trade goods or labor traffickers) slaves), sparked a tribal dispute.In order to avenge his father, Shangjiawei, Wang Hai's son, raised troops to destroy Youyi's family and took back the ox cart and other property.Shang's influence thus extended to the Yishui River Basin.Because Wang Hai began to "serve cattle", which was beneficial to the development of the Shang clan, after the rise of the Shang Dynasty, descendants have been solemnly commemorating this ancestor.

The Shang Dynasty established a big country with slavery (1711-1066 BC).Shang rulers could take jade from the West, copper and tin from the South, whale shells from the East Sea, and tendons from the North, and exchange activities were very extensive.But at this time, slave owners who are far away from production and despise labor are no longer willing to preside over long-distance exchange activities in person like Wang Hai, the tribal leader in the past, who worked tirelessly and avoided risks; The minister (slave manager) led the slaves to make specific arrangements.These people sail and drive, and it takes a long time to go out. They are always thinking about how to "get Bei" and "Peng Lai" (Pen and Peng are both currencies, five shells are strung together into one rope, and two ropes are hung on the left and right. It is called a friend. Bei Baibai in the Shang Dynasty), hoping for good luck, "friends follow Ersi".They "do not plow and reap, do not take she [菑, zi, the first plowed land; she yu, the cultivated field that has been cultivated for three years]", and have become people who specialize in exchanges.Because it is very profitable to use slaves to run trades, this business was highly valued in the upper class of the Shang Dynasty.Some great aristocrats even take exchange as their main business.The inside of an existing Taotie (taotie Taotie, a kind of evil beast in ancient legends) tripod from the Shang Dynasty is engraved with an inscription pattern resembling a man standing in a boat, and there is an image of a man rowing a boat beside him. A person is carrying money and going elsewhere by boat, obviously to do business.The owner of this exquisite and luxurious tripod proudly used the figure of business as his official badge and industry mark.

The city where the rulers of Shang lived was called "Yi", and there were "shi" and "si" in it, where people who came and went to do business gathered.According to legend, during the reign of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, Lu Wang, Jiang Taigong, worked as a "buyer", slaughtered and sold wine in the shops of Chaoge and Mengjin. This is an example of common people engaged in exchange.Later, Lu Wang, who had done business and was rich in social experience, assisted King Wu of Zhou in raising troops, and finally overthrew the extravagant and tyrannical King Zhou of Shang. A new dynasty ruled by the Zhou clan—the Zhou Dynasty, prospered in its place (1066 BC—— 770 BC, for the Western Zhou Dynasty).The formerly dominant Shang people became racial slaves of the Zhou Dynasty or were strictly controlled while maintaining their status as commoners.

The situation of the survivors of the merchants was very difficult. In order to supplement their families, many people had to follow the advice of the Duke of Zhou. Set up wine and cook dishes to celebrate ("Shangshu·Jiugao").Under the influence of the past social atmosphere of "Yin people value business" and "Yin people value wealth" (Yin means Shang), many of the Shang survivors simply took going out to do business as their main occupation.Originally, the merchants traveled and traded in all directions, and they often went to the area adjacent to the Zhou clan to do business. In the eyes of the Zhou people, the merchants were the merchants.After the demise of the Shang Dynasty, more merchants did business, and the merchants and merchants were intertwined, which gave people a deeper impression.Afterwards, the ethnic boundaries between the Shang clan and the Zhou clan gradually disappeared, and the number of non-Shang clan buyers and sellers gradually increased. Although the merchants may not be mainly Shang clan people, people still refer to "merchants" regardless of race. A generic term for a trader.At first, people only called those who ran trade as "merchants", and those who sold goods in stores as "Jia", which was the so-called "traders and merchants". Later, they were collectively referred to as merchants.It is from the word "merchant" that we now call "commodities" which are produced for sale, and "commerce" which deals exclusively with exchange.The Shang family, merchants, commodities, and commerce all have historical connections with the ancient Shang Dynasty.