Cantonese Businessmen and Lingnan & National Market System: Dialogue With J. K. Fairbank and G. William Skinner

Abstract

"Impact-response model" by J. K. Fairbank and "physiographic macro-regions of China" by G. William Skinner are the two influencers among international and domestic academic circles. This paper argues that Lingnan & national market systems in China were powered largely by Cantonese businessmen in Ming and Qing dynasties and were generated internally, rather than waiting for the impact from the West. From the social structure of Cantonese businessmen, the authors pointed out the different relationships between government, ordinary people and businessman. The central government has protected the Thirteen Factories of Canton functioned as a "friend-type umbrella" through preferential policies. While in the folk trade, the Hong merchants "beehive", the guildhall "beehive", the business house "beehive" and the family "beehive" developed the commodity trade altogether. Under the dual strengths of top-down "umbrella" support and bottom-up "beehive" force, Cantonese businessmen have established the market system of Lingnan and China and developed regional and national urban structure corresponding to the market system. Therefore, this paper also complements and expands the theory of "physiographic macro-regions of China" by Skinner.