现代商业的社会史研究：北京成文厚(1942-1952)

A Social History Approach to Commerce in Modern Time:Beijing Chengwenhou(1942-1952)

国家政府与商人的关系具有某种重要性,国家政府对商人和商业活动的政策也会影响社会进程。不过一般认为,商人在动荡的社会环境中很难生存,但北京现代商业史却提供了另外的事实:市民和移民社会身份的断裂,反而使商户的行业成为城市社会的主要个体身份标志,行业技艺和现代专业知识传承成为城市社会分层的新基础,促成了城市商业经济现代化的发轫。为此,需要考察北京商业的行业化取向,及其成为城市社会分层和城市社会网络的新成分的具体过程与动力,北京老字号"成文厚"的个案因此具有特殊价值。

The relationships between state and merchants are rather crucial at any time, since state policy regarding merchants and commercial activities has a direct impact on the whole social process. Generally speaking, social and political turmoil is viewed as the worst business environment, but the history of Peiping commerce during the Republican period sheds light on other aspects of this reality. The gap between the identities of urban dwellers and new comers still remained, but the professional activity of merchants appeared as one of the most important markers of personal identity in the rebuilding of this urban society. Moreover, the transmission of professional skills and modern specialized knowledge has become the new basis for urban social stratification. This process speeds up the modernisation of commercial activities. We have thus to survey the general trend which made Peiping commerce more professional, and the concrete process or dynamics which made professional commerce a new factor of the urban social stratification and the basis for new social networks. From this perspective, the study of ＂old famous business＂, i.e. Beijing Chengwenhou, as a case is particularly valuable.