有偿的互动:明清商人善举考

Paid Interaction:The Merchants' Act of Kindness in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

明清文献记载了大量有关商人从事社会公益事业的事迹,也塑造了较为完美的商人形象。他人的劝捐和求助,以及商人自身所遇是商人获取善举信息的主要渠道。促使商人产生善举行为的原因可分为外部因素和商人本身因素,如财富观、社会人文环境,商人对安全、尊重、名望的需求等等。对施救者(商人)与求助者(其他群体)而言,善举是一种有偿的互动,双方各取所需。在常态过程中,他们可进行良好的互动;而一旦求助者超出了界限,无休止地索要,商人们便会选择逃离,甚者因此家道中落。

Documents described lots of acts of kindness of merchantsin the Ming and Qing Dynasties.And it also created many relatively perfect merchant images.We drew some conclusions through careful analysis ofthese documents.First,merchants gotcharity information from people whohad proactively asked for help or they themselves had seen the people who need help.Second,the reasons of the acts of kindness of merchants included mainly social concepts and merchants'self-factors,such as social environment,view of wealth,the safety and esteem needs of merchants,and so on.Third,there was a paid interaction betweenthe rescuers(merchants)andhelp seekers(other communities),and each took what he needs.Normally,they maintained good interaction with each other.But once the help seekers cross the line,the merchants will quit,and what's worse,charity could lead some of them to straitened circumstances.