청말민국기(淸末民國期) 호남(湖南) 상인(商人)의 공익(公益)활동 = The Merchant's Activities of Public Interest in Hunan During the Late Qing and the Republic

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Public services in the traditional era were led by the gentry. However, after the late Qing, some merchants began to appear in public interest services. The public service activities of Hunan merchants gradually increased with the end of the Qing dynasty, especially in the Guangxu-Xuantong period. It is believed that there is a correlation between the rapid increase in the number of shantangs (public corporations) in the census and the activity of merchants. This era was the period when trade with foreign countries increased, and the commercial activities of merchants were energetic after the opening of ports.
The activities in the public interest included the construction of roads and bridges, the establishment of ferry crossings, donations of various kinds of resources for the relief of the poor, and the donation of Yicang (a reserved granary). However, there was also the progressive aspects of upgrading wooden bridges to stone ones or building a bridge on a ferry crossing. There was also a modern appearance, such as the establishment of a new hospital and a new school.
A term ShenShang' (gentry-merchant) first appears during the late Qing. In the process of the Hunan New Government Movement, many gentry actively participated in transformation, and began to change into modern merchants, not merely distribution traders, but modern entrepreneurs. They succeeded in the public activities of traditional gentry, and tried to establish a new school or establish a company. Some gentry-merchants might serve as chairman of the commercial committee and chairman of the executive education society, contributing to modern innovation. It began to be organized at the end of the Qing dynasty. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry was actively increasing to over a hundred under the control of the ChangSha General Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber of Commerce was actively giving relief to the victims of the flood and drought in the course of the warlord war and political disorder. They purchased grain from Hubei and other places, then sold it to the poor at a lower price than on the open market, or else provided meals for the poor directly and gave them some money to go back home.
All this was different from the previous personal donations. The organization called the Chamber of Commerce was collecting and distributing a lot of money systematically. The public corporations called ‘YiZhen Hui’ or 'HuaYang ChouZhen Hui’were specialized for the purpose of giving relief to the victims of floods and drought as well.
Hence it can be seen that after the public service of the traditional era in which the gentry were in charge, the merchants began to participate in the latter half of the Qing dynasty, and their activities became even more prominent in the late Qing. It also plays a leading role in the activities of the relief of the poor and the maintenance of public order. The Chamber of Commerce and the gentry held a joint meeting with officers, gentry, and merchants. By seeing that the increase of the public interest activity of the merchants, gentry-merchants, and Chamber of Commerce, we can figure out that the economic wealth was taken over from the gentry to the commercial and industrial leaders. The gentry could participate in the committee, but it was led by merchants and was held in The Chamber of Commerce.
If the feudal state was moved by Confucian ideology and the gentry who were the ruling class performed public service to maintain the ideology and the stable order, it can be understood that the social ruling class was now the merchant class, not the gentry.