传续与重构:勒石刻碑中的商业会馆——以明清山西碑刻资料为中心

Continuation and Reconstruction of the Commercial Guild Hall in the Stele of Leshi:Based on the Stele Materials of Shanxi in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

明清是商品经济发展的重要时期,其中晋商在各主要市镇构建了属于商人的活动组织——会馆。会馆是商业活动的重要处所,逐渐成为各地晋商发展的基本组成和成果体现,对它的构建彰显了山西商人的发展规模、经济实力、社会地位的提升。对现存一些明清山西会馆碑刻内容的解读,发现碑刻在会馆中的“指向性”功能,进而重新解读会馆构建背后的现实原因、商人心理及其时代内容,昭示明清晋商由“个人”向“众人”身份价值转变的时代要求和自我处置。在惠民、尊神、利国三驾马车的并行发展下,折射出当时商人发展的不易和会馆构建背后的群体焦虑。碑刻之于会馆,不仅为谨记不朽,更是晋商“直抒胸臆”的表达体现。

The Ming and Qing dynasties were important historical periods for the development of commodity economy, in which Shanxi merchants built an activity organization for themselves in major towns and cities, namely the guild hall. Itwas an important place for commercial activities, and gradually became the basic composition and achievement of the development of Shanxi merchants. Its construction demonstrates the development scale, economic strength and social status of Shanxi merchants. Through the combination of the construction of guild halls and the description of traditional stele inscriptions, the interpretation of the existing stele inscriptions in Shanxi guild halls in the Ming and Qing Dynasties reveals the “directive” function of the stele inscriptions in the guild hall. This helps to re-interpret the practical reasons behind the construction of the guild hall, the psychology of businessmen and historical backgrounds.It also helps to show the era requirements and self-disposition of Shanxi merchants in the Ming and Qing dynasties. This means these merchants changed their identity value from “individuals” to “the public”. Thenotion of benefiting people, respecting the gods and benefiting the countryreflects the difficulty in the development of businessmen at that time and the group anxiety behind the construction of the guild hall. The inscription on the stele in the Guild Hall is not only to remember the immortal, but also the way that Shanxi merchants overtly expressed themselves.