To this end, we have done a lot of investigation and research, and also extensively solicited the opinions of entrepreneurs, academic experts, Chu culture experts and administrative leaders. To our surprise, the views of all parties are surprisingly consistent: I think it is best to call it "Chu Shang". There are several reasons why all parties admire "Chu merchants":
First, geographically, the ancient Chu State covered the whole province of Hubei and was the basic territory of Chu State. More than 0/000 years before BC, King Zhou began to seal the state of Chu. In Nanzhang county, the territory is narrow and the national strength is weak. After a century and a half of hard struggle by five or six generations, the national strength became stronger and stronger, and then it continued to expand outward, and successively conquered more than a dozen small countries around it and merged into the territory of Chu. By the time King Wen of Chu moved the capital to the south of Yicheng in 689 BC, Chu had basically covered the whole Hubei Province. In 505 BC, the state of Wu invaded the capital of Ying, and King Zhao of Chu was forced to move to Ying, which is now jiangling county, also known as Jinan. Around 300 BC, the state of Chu reached its peak, with a territory of 5,000 Li in Fiona Fang, stretching to the east of Jiangsu and Shanghai, to the west of Hubei, to the Yellow River in the north and to Jiangxi, Hunan and Guizhou in the south. But in the vast territory of Chu, except Hubei today, most other areas are vassal States. After the prosperity of Chu turned to decline, the vassal States turned to rely on other big countries. In 223 BC, the State of Qin destroyed the State of Chu, which lasted for more than 800 years. It can be said that it originated in Hubei, developed and grew in Hubei, the three countries were in Hubei, and finally perished in Hubei. It should be said that Chu can be synonymous with Hubei. In this regard, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Henan and other provinces related to Chu will not object.
Secondly, the pioneering spirit of the Chu people, which is hard-working and enterprising, deserves to be inherited and carried forward by Hubei people and Hubei entrepreneurs today. As we all know, "Chu" means shrub forest. Our ancestors lived in the forest, so they are called "Chu people". In the Spring and Autumn Period, the reason why the country where Zhou Wang enfeoffed his ancestors was called "Chu" probably came from this, meaning a wild land full of thorns. It is under such conditions that our ancestors "worked hard to open up mountains and forests" and made unremitting efforts for self-improvement. After many generations of continuous struggle, Chu has entered civilization from primitive to prosperous. With the strengthening of national strength, the vision of Chu people is more open. They walked out of the mountains and expanded their territory. Jianghan Plain was first incorporated into the territory of Chu State, then controlled the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and then expanded to the Yellow River Basin, Huaihe River Basin and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. After three or four hundred years of arduous military and diplomatic struggles, the territory of Chu has been expanding, from a "small country" with a territory of only a hundred miles in Fiona Fang to a big country with a land of five thousand miles, a million cars and ten thousand horses, and a decade of chestnut support. It should be said that the pioneering spirit and enterprising spirit of Chu people have made the miracle of Chu from small to large and from weak to strong. It is our precious spiritual wealth, and carrying forward these spiritual wealth is of great practical significance to the development and modernization of enterprises.
Thirdly, Chu culture is unique and splendid, and it is one of the main bodies of Chinese culture, many of which are in line with the spirit of the times. It is of great significance to learn from, inherit and carry forward the essence of Chu culture for building a healthy commercial culture and social culture in Hubei. Historians agree that China's ancient culture is composed of multi-cultures, among which Huaxia culture is the main body. Huaxia culture consists of two parts: the northern part of the Yellow River Basin and the southern part of the Yangtze River Basin. The representative ancestors are the Yellow Emperor in the north and Yan Di in the south; The spiritual object advocated is the dragon in the north and the phoenix in the south; The academic mainstream is Confucius and Confucianism in the north and Laozi and Taoism in the south; Style tone, vigorous and rigorous in the north, strange and dexterous in the south; The representative of the North is the State of Jin, and the representative of the South is the State of Chu. Therefore, Chu culture is one of the main bodies of China culture. So what is the content of Chu culture? Comrade Wang Shengtie, an old leader of the former provincial party committee and an expert on Chu culture, once summarized Chu culture as "six pillars" and "five spirits". The six pillars are: bronze smelting and casting, silk embroidery, lacquer painting technology, music and dance art, philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi, and literature of Zhuangzi and Sao; These five spirits are: pursuing the blue light of the road, pursuing novelty, eclecticism, advocating martial arts and patriotism, harmony and honesty. Many experts think his summary is incisive and accurate. In particular, it is necessary to point out that the spirit of Chu culture, which pursues novelty, innovation, eclecticism, harmony and honesty, is completely consistent with the spirit of reform and opening up, harmony and honesty today. The innovation of Chu people is today's reform and innovation. For example, the King of Chu initiated the county system in China, which was changed to the whole county (now Jingmen County) after the country was broken. Since then, the county system has been followed to this day; Chu's Wuqi reform was earlier than Shang Yang's, and it was the earliest national political and economic system reform. Through the political reform, the privileges of aristocrats were reduced, the people's livelihood was improved, the legal system was improved, the bureaucracy was reorganized, the armaments were reorganized, and the combat effectiveness was improved. Political reform has achieved remarkable results. In addition, Chu people also made many innovations in science and technology, philosophy and literature. The eclecticism of Chu people is today's opening to the outside world. At first, Chu had no national advantages to rely on and no vast territory to rely on. In order to survive and develop, we must learn from each other's strong points and make use of them, thus forming an open spirit that integrates North and South and is eclectic. Bronze smelting, for example, was the most advanced technology at that time after innovation, improvement and development on the basis of learning the technology of Central Plains and wuyue. Silk weaving, embroidery and wood industry are technical talents introduced by Lu, which reached the first-class level at that time after digestion, absorption and creation. The whole process of the formation and development of Chu culture embodies the open spirit of Chu people's eclecticism, integration of North and South, and learning from ancient and modern times. As for harmony and honesty, from the ancestors of Chu, they were regarded as the core of governing the country, and then passed down from generation to generation, constantly enriching and developing. In the 800-year history of Chu, there are countless examples that emphasize harmony and honesty. Digging deep into the essence of Chu culture is undoubtedly of great and far-reaching significance for enriching and enriching the enterprise culture, business culture and social culture construction in Hubei today.
Fourth, "Chu merchants" and Hubei's abbreviation "E" are not contradictory. Anhui is called "Huizhou merchants" for short, and no one raised any objection.
To sum up, we think that it is the best choice for Hubei businessmen to be crowned with the word "Chu", that is, "Chu merchants". There is a clear regional concept-Hubei, but also a profound cultural connotation-Chu culture, which can completely rival the title of "Shanxi Merchants" and "Huizhou Merchants". Once the title of "Chu Shang" is widely recognized, it will stimulate the sense of belonging and pride of entrepreneurs in Hubei Province. They will be proud of Chu merchants, descendants of Chu people and splendid Chu culture. It will also promote many outstanding entrepreneurs to draw nutrition from the spirit of Chu culture. In the production and operation of enterprises, on the journey of modernization, we should inherit and carry forward the spirit and culture of Chu people, persist in hard work and self-improvement, persist in pioneering and enterprising, be bigger and stronger, persist in reform and innovation, dare to be the first, persist in opening to the outside world, integrate things, persist in harmonious development, be honest and trustworthy, and persist in loving the country and the people and repaying the society. The correct name of "Chu Shang" will certainly promote the construction of enterprise culture and the development of enterprise production in the whole province, and then promote the economic and social development of the whole province.