从旅津晋商碑刻看清代天津集散中心地位的形成

Tianjin as the Collecting and Distributing Center in Qing: Rethinking it through the Prism of Inscriptions on Steles Erected by Tianjin-Based Shanxi Merchants

晋商是清代天津外地商人的主要组成部分,并有着明显的行业特征。在天津,典当、票号、银钱业多由晋商投资与经营,在盐业、茶叶和杂货业中晋商也有一定的比重,且随着天津集散能力的增强,其经营范围和规模逐渐扩展。但天津开埠通商后,在对外贸易等诸多因素的冲击下,旅津晋商显现出沉着冷静但应变力不足的特点,影响了其在天津的进一步发展。

Digging into the name list of donors found in stele inscriptions of Guild Hall of Shanxi Merchants,as well into existing historical literature,the present paper tries to reconstruct the entire spectrum of business of Jinshang,or Shanxi merchants,in Tianjin.It contends that Jinshang played a leading role in the circle consisting predominantly of non-Tianjin businessmen.Jinshang made themselves commercially,noticeably different from others.The overwhelming majority of Shanxi merchants in Tianjin ran pawnshops and private banks.Some were also active players in the businesses of salt,tea and sundry goods.As time went on,Jinshang's business grew increasingly diverse.The reason of such diversification lay in the fact that Tianjin became a more prominent collecting and distributing center.Nevertheless,when Tianjin as a treaty port was historically staged,the growth of Jinshang,which was renowned for their coolheadedness,was not furthered accordingly due to group's inability to cope with the changed situation and in particular the impingement caused by the foreign trade