1. The emergence of merchants and the rise of commerce: This chapter tells the emergence of commerce in ancient my country and the basic situation in the three periods of Pre-Qin, Qin-Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties. Ancient commerce originated in the pre-Qin period, initially developed in the Qin and Han dynasties, and further developed in the Sui and Tang dynasties.

(1) The rise of commerce in the pre-Qin period

(2) The initial development of commerce in the Qin and Han dynasties

Let students read with questions: The reasons for the development of commerce in the Qin and Han dynasties What is it? What are the manifestations of business development?

The reasons for the development of commerce during the Qin and Han Dynasties include: Qin Shihuang unified currency, weights and measures, and built roads. The "Switch Liang" in the Western Han Dynasty opened two Silk Roads, both land and sea, and Sino-foreign trade gradually developed.

The development of commerce in the Western Han Dynasty is reflected in the following: wealthy merchants traveled all over the world, Sino-foreign trade gradually developed, some big cities became famous commercial centers, and the government set up full-time officials to manage the market.

(3) The further development of commerce during the Sui and Tang Dynasties

The counter specializes in the storage and lending of currency. It is the earliest prototype of a bank in my country, six or seven years earlier than the emergence of financial institutions along the European Mediterranean coast. century. Flying money is similar to the money order of later generations. The emergence of counter shops and flying coins is the result of the development of commodity economy, and their emergence promotes the convenience and development of commerce.

2. The prosperity of business in the Song and Yuan Dynasties: This chapter tells the story of the prosperity of business in the Song and Yuan Dynasties in two stages: the Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty. The prosperity of commerce in the Song Dynasty was based on the breaking of the system of separate markets and the no longer limiting the trading hours of goods. During the Song Dynasty, there were not only many types of goods, but also domestic trade, inter-ethnic trade and foreign trade were prosperous. The Yuan Dynasty achieved unprecedented unification of the country and promoted the continued prosperity of commerce.

(1) Reasons for the prosperity of business during the Two Song Dynasties

First, the Northern Song Dynasty ended the separation and separatism of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, allowed normal social and economic development, and the development of agriculture and handicrafts. Provides a material basis for business prosperity. Second, the government gradually relaxed restrictions on commodity trading. Starting from the late Tang Dynasty, the system of strict separation of markets and squares was gradually broken. By the Song Dynasty, shops could be opened anywhere, and trading hours were no longer restricted by day and night, and could be operated in the morning or evening. Third, during the Northern Song Dynasty, wealthy merchants in Yizhou began to issue the world's earliest banknotes, "Jiaozi". Later, the government established Jiaozi Affairs in Yizhou to print and distribute Jiaozi. During the Southern Song Dynasty, banknotes were used in a wide range of areas and their circulation increased greatly. The issuance and use of banknotes facilitated commercial activities and promoted commercial prosperity. Fourth, during the Song Dynasty, land and water transportation was convenient, especially the smooth Maritime Silk Road, which was conducive to the development of foreign trade.

(2) The manifestation of commercial prosperity in the two Song Dynasties

The prosperity of commerce in the Two Song Dynasties was first reflected in the prosperity of urban commerce. Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, and Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, became prosperous commercial metropolises. "Along the River During Qingming Festival" by Zhang Zeduan, a painter of the Northern Song Dynasty, vividly reflects the prosperous commercial scene in Kaifeng City. You can display the "Along the River During Qingming Festival" (part) in the courseware to deepen students' impression of Kaifeng's commercial prosperity. Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, was full of shops and prosperous trade. The morning market and night market were connected day and night, and restaurants, teahouses and tiles were scattered in an orderly manner.

The variety of goods increased, and various types of markets appeared. Many agricultural and sideline products and handicrafts began to enter the market and became important commodities. For example, the surplus grain of farmers in Suhu area and the bamboo and wooden utensils made by southern bamboo craftsmen have become commodities. Students can be guided to observe the textbook illustration "The trademark of the Liu Family Kung Fu Needle in Jinan, Shandong during the Northern Song Dynasty" and ask students: What effective information can be obtained from this trademark? Then we can summarize the same: In the Northern Song Dynasty, the variety of goods increased, and merchants paid attention to the packaging of goods and also paid attention to advertising their own goods. It shows that the level of businessmen in the Northern Song Dynasty has been greatly improved. The popular proverb in the Southern Song Dynasty, "When Suhu is ripe, the world will have enough" shows that the surplus grain of farmers in the Suhu area has become an important commodity. Various types of fairs, regular and irregular, professional and seasonal, have also appeared in the city. Commercial tax revenue has increasingly become an important financial resource for the government.

During the Song Dynasty, ethnic border trade prospered. The Northern Song Dynasty confronted the Liao and Xixia, and the Southern Song Dynasty confronted the Jin Dynasty. The two Song Dynasties set up forays in the border areas adjacent to Liao, Xixia and Jin to conduct bilateral trade and exchange what they had.

During the Song Dynasty, overseas trade developed. The Maritime Silk Road was smooth during the Song Dynasty, and the government paid special attention to overseas trade. During the Northern Song Dynasty, dozens of countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula and even Africa traded with China.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, overseas trade developed further, and foreign trade taxes became one of the important sources of national treasury wealth.

(3) The continued prosperity of commerce in the Yuan Dynasty

The Yuan Dynasty achieved unprecedented unification of the country and laid the foundation for further economic development; the Grand Canal was re-dredged. The Grand Canal runs directly from Hangzhou to Dadu; it opened up sea transportation, which departed from Liujiagang at the mouth of the Yangtze River and arrived at Zhigu (Tianjin) via the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea; the Yuan government also set up inns all over the country, spanning the land Silk Road across Europe and Asia. The roads also became prosperous again, which promoted the continued prosperity of business in the Yuan Dynasty.

Most of the cities in the Yuan Dynasty were political and cultural centers and bustling international commercial metropolises. Caravans came to Dadu from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, from the coast of Africa, from Japan, Korea, and from all over the Southeast Asia. There are more than 30 various markets in the city, with no less than 100,000 households. Various domestic and foreign products are gathered here. "The import of hundreds of things is like the endless flow of hundreds of rivers." It is said that the amount of silk transported into the city alone reaches a thousand carts every day. Hangzhou is the largest commercial and handicraft center in the south. "The trade is so huge that no one can describe it". Quanzhou was an important port for foreign trade in the Yuan Dynasty. More than a hundred sea-going ships often docked here. Foreign travelers praised it as the largest port in the world. The Yuan government set up a Municipal Shipping Department here to manage foreign trade.

3. Huizhou merchants and Shanxi merchants in the Ming and Qing Dynasties: This section focuses on the emergence of business gangs during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as the prominent position and important influence of Huizhou merchants and Shanxi merchants in commercial activities at that time.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the connection between the small-scale peasant economy and the market became increasingly close, and the commercialization of agricultural products was further developed; the urban economy was unprecedentedly prosperous and developed, and many big cities and rural markets were prosperous. Among them, Beijing and Nanjing are national commercial cities. You can use the textbook illustration "Ming Dynasty "Imperial Capital Accumulated Victory Map" (detail)" to introduce students to the commercial prosperity of Beijing in the Ming Dynasty. Many regional merchant groups - business gangs - have emerged across the country, among which the largest and most powerful are Huizhou merchants and Shanxi merchants.

(1) Huizhou merchants

Huizhou merchants are businessmen in Huizhou. Huizhou has a tradition of doing business. Huizhou people are very united, pay attention to helping each other, and also advocate frugality. After hundreds of years of business, Huizhou merchants have accumulated astonishing wealth. Use a passage from Gu Yanwu quoted in the after-class reading and thinking to summarize the reasons why Huizhou merchants became rich. Hui merchants almost "live without goods" and their business scope is very wide, but "Shouyu Salt" pays special attention to the management of table salt. The rise of Huizhou merchants began with the business of salt. In the Ming Dynasty, the production of salt was monopolized by the government. In order to solve the problem of insufficient food and salary for the border guards, the Ming government allowed merchants to transport food to designated border defense locations and then gave them the right to sell salt. Huizhou was far away from the border area, so Huizhou merchants did not have an advantage in the salt industry at first. However, after the mid-Ming Dynasty, the Ming government changed the payment of grain to silver, and Hui merchants invested in the salt industry and became rich. After Hui merchants accumulated commercial capital by operating the salt industry, they expanded their business scope to engage in tea, timber, grain and other industries. Their activities spread across the country. There is a folk proverb that "no town can be built without Hui". They also left their footprints in overseas countries, and there is a saying that "Huizhou merchants are everywhere". Huizhou merchants relied on their abundant commercial capital to engage in bulk commodity trading and long-distance trafficking; they also intervened in the production field and dominated the production activities of certain handicraftsmen; they also operated in financial industries such as pawnbroking and obtained high profits. Huizhou merchants flourished for hundreds of years from the early Ming Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty, and wealthy businessmen with assets of millions or even tens of millions emerged. It is recommended that teachers ask students to look at the textbook illustration "Houses of Huizhou Merchants" and then point out to students: This is a house built by Huizhou merchants hundreds of years ago and is still intact today.

(2) Shanxi merchants

Shanxi merchants are Shanxi merchants. They are another business gang as famous as Huizhou merchants. Shanxi merchants were also engaged in the salt industry at first. In the early Ming Dynasty, Shanxi merchants took advantage of the land's proximity to the northern border to transport military supplies for the government, obtained the right to sell salt, and became rich by operating the salt industry, becoming a large and wealthy salt merchant. After they accumulated huge amounts of commercial capital, they gradually expanded their business scope and sold silk, ironware, tea, cotton, wood, etc. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shanxi merchants began to set up financial institutions to operate deposits, loans, and exchanges, and they could also act as agents of money and grain for the government. You can contact the introduction part of the textbook about the founding of Rishengchang to help students understand the content of this topic. After long-term management and accumulation, the financial resources of Shanxi merchants continued to grow. By the Qing Dynasty, there were countless individuals with assets worth one million yuan. The richest man in Shanxi merchants, Kang, had assets of tens of millions of taels.