清代湖南的福建商人初探

Fujian Merchants in Hunan during Qing Dynasty

明清时期福建商人以海商为主而不乏深入内陆活动者。清代湖南商业贸易繁荣,福建商人在湖南建有天后宫或福建会馆至少44处,主要分布在沿江和沿洞庭湖重要市镇乃至基层集市,经营烟草、茶叶、靛青等。在湖南活动的福建商人在商贸经营之外,建立福建会馆加强商帮内部凝聚力,参与当地慈善活动和救济事业,与其他各省商帮联合建立商业组织和社会机构、参与地方基层行政。从清代湖南的福建商人的活动可以初步认识闽商在内陆发展的形态和特点。

During the Ming and Qing peroid, most of the Fujian merchants threw themselves into maritime trade, but there are still a few into inland commercial activities. Qing Dynasty, with the prosperity of Hunan commercial trade, the merchants of Fujian have built Tien Hon Temples or guild halls at least 44 across Hunan, mainly distributed in the impor- tant towns even standard markets in the Yangtze River or along the Dongting Lake. They sold tea, tobacco, indigo and oth- er goods. In Hunan, the Fujian merchants established Fujian guild halls to help strengthen the internal cohesion, to partic- ipate in the local charity, and to help establish business organizations and social organizations participating into local ad- ministration with merchants from other provinces. Fujian merchants and their business activities in Hunan can offer a pre- liminary understanding of the forms and characteristics of their development in inland China.