Shashi, Jiujiang, Wuhu, and Wuxi are collectively known as the four major rice markets in ancient China.
China's "four major rice markets" were created during the underdevelopment of the agricultural commodity economy in the old days. , played a positive role in promoting grain production and circulation at that time, and greatly improved local social development, farmers' lives, and commercial economy and trade. As the four major "rice markets", Wuxi, Changsha, Wuhu and Jiujiang have the same advantages of convenient transportation along the river, abundant grain production and developed trade circulation. As for the ranking of the four major "rice markets", Wuxi and Wuhu each say they are in the first place, but these are meaningless now.
1. Wuxi
Wuxi is located in the south of Jiangsu Province, bordering Taihu Lake in the south, Huishan Mountain in the west, Taihu Lake Water Network Plain in the north, and straddling the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway, Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and Xicheng Highway. , at the intersection of Xicheng Canal. Wuxi was founded as a county in the Qin and Han Dynasties and is still in use today. Historically, it was a nationally famous "land of fish and rice" and was known as the first of China's "four major rice markets". It was also one of the earliest birthplaces of China's national capitalists.
As early as the Ming and Qing Dynasties when water transportation was at its peak, Wuxi was already a grain concentration center in the Taihu Lake Basin and Zhejiang and Zhejiang provinces, as well as a famous grain market in the south of the Yangtze River. During the Qianlong period, Wuxi's grain throughput reached seven to eight million shi. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the grain warehouse capacity was the highest among the southeastern provinces, and the grain processing industry became the top five rice milling centers in the country. Since the reform and opening up, Wuxi rice market has seen active transactions and its business has spread all over the country. In order to adapt to the needs of the reform of the grain circulation system and the new round of market reform and development, comprehensively improve the function and taste of Wuxi Rice Market, the "Wuxi Grain and Oil Center Wholesale Market" national market signboard will be restored. "Wuxi Rice Market" is mainly composed of two markets, the north and the south. The South Market is based on the Wuxi Grain and Oil Transfer and Reserve Warehouse, and has the advantages of a dedicated railway grain and oil line and a rice terminal on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It mainly trades bulk raw grains such as rice, wheat, soybeans, and corn; while the North Market is based on the existing Wuxi Grain and Oil Market. The main body is mainly spot trading of finished grain and oil products, which meets the needs of residents in Xicheng and surrounding areas for rice bags and vegetable baskets. Sanliqiao on the outskirts of the city is China's largest grain and oil market. In 1990, its grain and oil trading volume ranked first among the four major rice markets.
Wuxi has a subtropical monsoon climate, which is warm and humid and has many places of interest. There is Chong'an Temple of the Northern Song Dynasty in it. There are Tang relics "The Second Spring in the World" and Mingji Changyuan in Xihui Park at the foot of Huishan Mountain. There are Longguang Temple and Longguang Pagoda on Xishan Mountain. At the beginning of the 20th century, gardens such as Liyuan, Meiyuan and Yuantouzhu (also known as Hengyun Park) were built in the Binhu area. Wuxi has a documented history of civilization spanning thousands of years since Taibo went to Wu. It has Ni Yunlin, one of the four great painters in China, a member of the Donglin Party who represents the integrity of Chinese intellectuals, and the only Chinese painter listed among the top ten in the world. Abing from the famous song "Two Springs Reflect the Moon". Everyone is familiar with famous figures in modern China such as Xu Beihong, Qian Zhongshu, and Sun Yefang.
2. Changsha
Changsha is located in the east of central Hunan, on the lower reaches of the Xiangjiang River, in the eastern part of Hunan. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, it has been the political, military, economic, cultural, and educational center of the Huxiang region, with a glorious history, a splendid culture, and a gathering of celebrities. Changsha "has jade on the land and pearls on the water". The Yuelu is the screen, the Xiangjiang River is the belt, the water and land islands float in the middle of the river, the Liuyang River meanders around the suburbs, the lakes are dotted, the hills and mountains alternate, and the city outlines are scattered among them. In the Tang Dynasty, a landscape city has been formed style. Changsha has a documented history of more than 3,000 years, and the formation and construction of the ancient city of Changsha also has many characteristics. Changsha City itself is a great historical relic. The ancient and modern city sites overlap, the ancient and modern city centers overlap, and there are only a handful of cities in China that have continued from the Warring States Period to the present day. Ancient buildings such as Dingwang Terrace and Jia Yi's former residence in the Han Dynasty, gardens and temples in the Tang and Five Dynasties, academies in the Song Dynasty, palaces and city pavilions in the Ming Dynasty all have their own characteristics and styles. Although Changsha was devastated by the "Wenxi" fire, its unique ancient buildings, ancient gardens, ancient temples, ancient city sites, ancient streets, ancient post roads, and ancient rivers are still clearly visible today.
Changsha Rice Market occupies an important position in the history of Changsha’s trade. Its prototype can be traced back to the late Northern Song Dynasty. At that time, Tanzhou was able to build large ships carrying rice to and from the Xiangjiang River to transport rice. In the early Yongzheng years of the Qing Dynasty, "thousands of rice-carrying ships gathered" on the Xiangjiang River, selling directly to Hankou, and then to Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It was very popular for a while. The Yisu River near Changsha has become an area where hundreds of grains are gathered. "Compared with granaries, rice bags are blocked, and the annual trade volume reaches more than 2 million tons." In 1726 (the fourth year of Yongzheng reign), the Qing government issued a notice to the vassals to open various tooth shops and provide trading venues, and the rice market was officially formed.
There are 35 dental shops opened in Changsha market town, of which 24 are grain shops. The prosperity of Changsha's grain industry attracted Xiaomi City near Changsha to the provincial capital. At the same time, manual mills, cattle mills, and even machine mills appeared to process rice into rice for sale. By the time of Guangxu, the number of Uifangs in Changsha had grown to 500, most of which were located along the river from Bixiang Street to Caochaomen, with Chaozong Street being the most numerous, hence the name "Mi Street". At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, Changsha's grain industry began to differentiate into four natural industries: rice milling industry mainly for processing, grain warehouses mainly for grain storage, grain shops mainly for buying and selling on behalf of customers, and pure retail rice stores. In 1908, Zeng Guofan's son-in-law Nie Jigui opened the Xiefeng Grain Store in Changsha, which became famous. The prosperity of Changsha Rice Market is not only due to Changsha's special geographical and economic status, but also based on the relatively developed grain production in Hunan Province. At that time, the total grain output ranked third in the country, second only to Guangdong. and Sichuan. After the "Wenxi" fire in Changsha, the rice market declined. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, it gradually recovered. By 1947, there were more than 700 state-owned enterprises in Changsha's grain industry.
Changsha’s climate is characterized by changeable spring temperatures, sunny summers and autumns, short severe cold periods, and long hot and summer periods. Changsha has many places of interest and revolutionary monuments, including Mawangdui Han Tomb, Yuelu Academy, Lushan Temple, Qingshui Pond, Chuanshan Academy, and the First Normal University. Scenic spots include Juzizhou, Aiwan Pavilion, etc. Changsha's commerce has been prosperous since ancient times, and its handicraft industry has developed. In the 30th year of Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1904), Changsha was officially opened as a commercial port. During the Republic of China, Changsha's rice market and its "gold, money, silk, and paper" industries were well-known throughout the country. Many commercial streets and famous time-honored brands appeared in Changsha City, which was known as the "Land of Fish and Rice", "Land of Firecrackers", and "Land of Hunan Embroidery". ", "Hometown of Pottery" and many other good names.
3. Jiujiang
Jiujiang lies on Poyang Lake in the east, Yangtze River in the north, Mufu Mountains in the west, and Lushan Mountain in the south. It is known as the North Gate of Jiangxi. It is an ancient and ancient city with a long history. The beautiful city, known as Xunyang and Chaisang in ancient times, is located at the junction of the four provinces of Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan and Anhui. During the Xia and Shang Dynasties, Jiujiang belonged to the city of Jingzhou and Yangzhou. During the Spring and Autumn Period, it belonged to the eastern border of Wu and the western border of Chu. It was known as the "head of Wu and the tail of Chu". After Qin Shihuang unified China, Jiujiang was established as one of the 36 counties. There is a saying that "the nine factions are divided from the river to Xunyang", so it was named Jiujiang, also known as Jiangzhou. Since the Qin Dynasty, seven names have been used: Jiujiang, Chaisang, Jiangzhou, Xunyang, Runan, Huanyu and Dehua***. Jiujiang place names have been used since the Ming Dynasty to this day. Ancient books say that Jiujiang "occupies the mouth of three rivers and is the thoroughfare to the four reaches". It is connected to seven provinces and has a large concentration of merchants. It is also one of the "four major rice markets" and the "three major tea markets" in modern my country, and is one of the ten golden waterways of the Yangtze River. One of the largest ports in northern Jiangxi, it is adjacent to rivers and lakes, and is blessed with unique mountains and rivers.
The first source of commercial rice in Jiujiang is local rice. Jiujiang and nearby counties are the alluvial plains formed by the Yangtze River, Poyang Lake, and Xiuhe River, as well as the hilly valleys of the Mufu Mountains. They have a mild climate and abundant rainfall. They have historically been a land of fish and rice, which is the main source of Jiujiang's rice market. The second is rice from other provinces. It is mainly rice from places along the Yangtze River in Anhui and Hubei provinces adjacent to Jiujiang City. This traditional distribution channel continues to this day. The destination of Jiujiang Rice Market is from Hankou to Shanghai, Shaoxing and Jinhua in Zhejiang Province, among which Shanghai and Hankou have the largest sales volume. Nanchang, the provincial capital, is the first-level distribution center for rice grains in the province. It is distributed to various places in Shanghai and Han Dynasty from Jiujiang. Therefore, Nanchang is the main supplier of Jiujiang rice market and the rice processing base. Jiujiang is waiting for the exit. When businessmen from outside the province go to Jiangxi to buy rice, they often go to Jiujiang to negotiate business, and go through the rice export procedures at Jiujiang Customs until it is shipped out of the country. The transfer points of Jiujiang rice market in northern Gansu include Hukou, Tujiabu and Wucheng. These three towns are close to rivers and lakes, and water transportation is very convenient. Hukou played a big role in Jiujiang becoming a rice market. Tujiabu is located at the intersection of Xiushui and Nanxun railways. It is a key grain area in northern Jiangxi, with tens of thousands of kilograms of grain imported and exported every year. The grain flows, part of it goes to Nanxun and exports to Jiujiang; part of it goes to Xiushui to Wucheng and exits to Jinghukou, and is exported to Wuhan, Shanghai, Nanjing and other places.
4. Wuhu
Wuhu is located in the southeast of Anhui, with its central geographical coordinates at 119 degrees 21 minutes east longitude and 31 degrees 20 minutes north latitude. The city covers an area of ??3,317 square kilometers and has a population of 2.15 million. The urban population is 630,000. Wuhu has a long history. In the Spring and Autumn Period, it was the Jiuyi Town of the Wu State. It was named as a county in 109 BC and has a history of more than 2,000 years. Historically, Wuhu's agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce were quite developed. In the Southern Tang Dynasty, there were "scenic towers" and "thousands of fireworks".
After the Southern Song Dynasty, especially in the Yuan Dynasty, Wuhu has become a quite prosperous town. Starting from the Ming Dynasty, it gradually became an important commercial port in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Handicrafts such as pulp and dyeing have become famous far and wide. In "Tiangong Kaiwu" written by Song Yingxing of the Ming Dynasty, there is a saying that "weaving is in Songjiang (Shanghai), and pulp and dyeing is in Wuhu", forming a large pulp and dyeing factory known as "Wuhu Giant Store" . In recent years, stone tools, bone tools and various types of mammal fossils made by ancient humans have been discovered in Renzi Cave in Wuhu. They are dated to between 2 million and 2.5 million years ago, tracing back the history of human activities in Asia for four years. Half a million years. The Dagongshan ancient copper mine site within the territory was China's largest copper production base during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Han and Tang Dynasties. In 1996, it was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit by the State Council.
In 1876, the "Yantai Treaty" signed between China and Britain established four cities, including Wuhu and Wenzhou in Zhejiang, as treaty ports. The signing of this unequal treaty had a huge impact on Wuhu's national economy and While causing abnormal development, it also opened Wuhu's door to the outside world. In 1918, Wuhu Customs' import and export value accounted for 3.5% of the country's foreign trade, making it one of the major trade ports on the Yangtze River. The Wushen Canal, which starts and ends in Wuhu and Shanghai, closely connects the economy and culture of Wuhu with Su, Xi, Ning, and Hangzhou. After Wuhu opened its treaty port, a large number of foreign firms and companies entered Wuhu. At the same time, the spread of advanced science and technology also stimulated the development of Wuhu's modern industry. The earliest batch of national industries in Anhui Province were established in Wuhu. In 1883, a wired telegraph line was set up in Wuhu, making it the first city in the province to use telegraph. In 1897, the Yixin (machine grinding) Rice and Noodle Company was put into operation, ranking first among similar factories in the country at that time. In the 1930s, civil aviation was launched to fly to Shanghai. and Wuhan. After entering the 20th century, Wuhu's industry and commerce has developed to more than 100 types and 5,000 to 6,000 businesses, becoming the birthplace of Anhui's modern industry and one of the economic centers in the Yangtze River Basin. Due to its superior location and prosperous business, it has been known as "the backbone of Anhui" and "the giant port on the Yangtze River" in history.
Wuhu is known as the first of the "Four Rice Markets" in the country, and the starting point and birthplace of the rice market is today's Matang District. Matang District is commonly known as Henan because it is located on the south bank where the Qingyi River flows into the Yangtze River. The coast is densely populated and the market trade is quite prosperous. The "Huining Chi Taiguang Road" that governs the southern Anhui area is also located here. "Monument to the Reconstruction Club of Jiangguang Rice Shop" in Wuhu in 1948: "In the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, Li Wenzhonggong (Li Hongzhang's posthumous name Wenzhong) asked the Brigadier General to move the grain market from Qihaokou, Zhenjiang." It is true that Li Hongzhang supported the rice market. But the specific operator was Zhang Qiaoye (Zhang Yinhuan). During the Tongzhi period, he got acquainted with Li Hanzhang (Hongzhang's brother), the governor of Guangdong. In the eighth year of Guangxu (1882), Li Hanzhang was appointed governor of Huguang, Li Hongzhang was appointed governor of Zhili and minister of Beiyang, and Zhang Yinhuan was appointed Wuhu Pass. Li Hanzhang encouraged Zhang Yinhuan to come forward, and under the banner of prospering the Wuhu commercial port, he offered suggestions to Li Hongzhang and relied on the power of the court to move Zhenjiang Rice Market to Wuhu. Li Hongzhang advocated that the best policy would be to allow rice merchants to relocate themselves. As a result of the discussion, specific preferential measures were decided to make rice merchants profitable, and they would naturally compete for profits. Zhang Yinhuan personally went to Zhenjiang and used the friendship between his fellow villagers to build relationships. He promised the Guangchao Rice Gang that Wuhu Customs would issue a rice franchise license and have a patent agent in Wu; the rice packaging fee would be paid by the seller; That is to say, the transportation from Wuyun to Shanghai is still calculated according to the resources of Zhenjiang and Shanghai transportation. Sure enough, Guangchao rice gangs came to Wu to invest and open rice accounts. More than 20 gang members from Ning and Yan gangs followed. The four major rice gangs are the pillars that promote the rise of the rice market, which is "heaps are like mountains and sales are like rivers".
Li Jingfang, son of Li Hongzhang, immediately seized this great opportunity and opened Yuande Yu Rice Furnace Factory on Yanhe Road; he also built Hengfeng Granary at Fumin Bridge (now Zhongshan Bridge) in Henan Province, which could store 20,000 to 30,000 dans. Rent rice. Li Zhonghao, the son of Li Hanzhang, opened Dingyu Pawn Shop and Baoshan Changqian Bank. He set up branches in Shanghai, Hankou and Guangzhou, and almost took over the business of rice merchants' loans, exchange and Cantonese bills. Li Zhonghao is also the general office of Wuhu Investment Promotion Bureau. Large quantities of rice grains were exported through its ships, and it also had a monopoly on water transportation. In the Wanjiang area of ????Baibaili, especially in the Jiangbei area, the Li family owns tens of thousands of acres of farmland. It is a matter of course that the rented rice is converted into commercial grain. In short, the rice market brought business opportunities and huge profits to the Li family, and also stimulated the prosperity of related industries. The grand rice market spreads along both sides of the Yangtze River, and the rice market in the south of the city is especially prosperous. The county annals say: "From Nanguan to the floating bridge, the rice market is called Nanshi." From the south entrance of Fumin Bridge to the east of Wuguan Supervision Office, there are many grain warehouses and Daotai government warehouses, forming a street, from which the name Kuzi Street comes.
"The address is on Laiyuanpu South Street, in front of Guan Street, and in the back to Yangming Academy." There is also a "Rice Industry Office" on Heng Street on the north bank of Jiangkou, which is a rice merchant organization with the four major rice gangs as the main body. Zhang Yinhuan sat in charge of the Henan Customs and Roads Department, took effective public relations measures, formulated and implemented preferential policies for attracting investment, and launched the Wuhu Rice Market, which was beneficial to the development of the local economy and played an indispensable role.
Wuhu is located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and has a subtropical humid monsoon climate, with a mild climate, abundant rainfall, and four distinct seasons. The natural environment is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with pleasant scenery and dotted with cultural landscapes. As early as the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, Emperor Yuan of Liang (Xiao Yi) wrote the poem "Pan Wuhu", praising the landscape of Wuhu. Poets Li Bai, Wen Tingyun, Du Mu, etc. of the Tang Dynasty, and writers Mei Yaochen, Wang Anshi, Shen Kuo, etc. of the Song Dynasty all have handed down works praising Wuhu. The traditional "Eight Scenic Spots of Wuhu" in the Song and Yuan Dynasties have been formed.