乾隆年间两淮盐商的资本积累与流向

Capital Accumulation and Flow Direction of Lianghuai Salt Merchants in Qianlong Years

清代乾隆年间,两淮盐商依仗清王朝赋予的政治经济特权,在盐务官员的庇护和皇帝的大力支持下,得以垄断两淮食盐贩卖的厚利,并因此发展成为挟资千万、富比王侯的巨大封建商业资本集团。拥有巨资的两淮盐商,其资本流向是多方面的,他们除将部分财富耗费于购置田产和奢侈消费外,还将大量资本回馈社会,积极投身于救灾济荒、筑路修桥及抚孤恤贫等社会公益事业。

In Qianlong years of the Qing Dynasty, dependent on the political and economic privilege endowed by the government and under the support and protection of the emperor and the officers in the charge of salt affair, Lianghuai （Huaian and Huaiyin） salt merchants monopolized salt trade in Lianghuai area and got outrageous profits so as to develop into enormous feudal commercial capital groups who held almost as much money as the emperor. Their capitals flew into many fields, such as real estate and luxurious consumption; besides, they also repaid society a large number of capitals. They threw themselves into public services, such as disasters and famine relief, road and bridging building, and orphans and the poor care.