Wu Commercial Culture

The progress of the commercial economy in Qin and Lu during the Pre-Qin period and the Qin-Han period made the development of the economic theories possible. The views of many prominent scholars in this time , whether the view of the Confucian scholars of placing righteousness before benefits , or the view of the scholars advocating a strong state with plenty of grains and arms , or the view of the scholars advocating reduction of taxes and duties , or the view for thrift and against extravagancy , or the view expressed in the “Book of Master Guan”, a 100,000 character-long unprecedented monumental work on economy , all contributed to the shaping of the ancient Chinese economics , which exerted a profound influence upon the later economic growth as well as the later Chinese economic doctrines.

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The Wu culture area covered the Yangtze Delta, particularly the south of modern Jiangsu Province. Dating back to the Neolithic Age five to six millennia ago, the primitive people living in the area created a brilliant culture that was predominant in China. In the Spring-Autumn period , the Wu State arose in southeast China . Resorting to its rich resources, it defeated both the Chu State , and the Yue State and threatened the Qi State and the Jin State , and became the leader of the feudal lords for a certain period . In the Northern and Southern Dynasties period the North was plunged into unrest and upheaval, whereas the South was comparatively peaceful and stable. So, the gravity of the national economy began to move to the South. Since the Tang and Song periods, the Wu Zone area became the financial mainstay of the nation. This position was further strengthened in the Ming and Qing periods, and continued to be so in the modern days. 民俗节庆门户网站

Rice planting was an age-old occupation in Wu. In the Spring-Autumn period rice planting here reached a new high, being a primary sector in the production. The rice planting area was enlarged and the rice output increased greatly. For instance, the vessels unearthed from the Biedun No.1 Tomb at Jintan County in modern Jiangsu Province contained grains along with other foods . It is estimated that as much as five or six hundred jin of grains ( 1 jin = 0.5kg ) was buried underground with the dead . What is more, from a tomb of a nobleman at Wangjia Hill in Zhenjiang city were unearthed thirteen crackle-veined porcelain jars, all full of grains. Suppose each jar contained 100 jin of grains, the grains buried along with the dead in this tomb totaled over 1,000 jin, which indicated the high development of farming and the rich reserve of grains achieved in the area.  wish.1155815.com

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