How did the merchants of the Qing Dynasty resist the harassment of beggars?There is a shelf life b

Mondo Health Updated on 2024-01-19

The ancient business environment was not an easy one, especially during the Qing Dynasty, when merchants in the capital had to deal with tax pressures and theft by thieves, but also had to face an even more headache – beggar harassment. In order to avoid this problem, merchants have resorted to a miraculous solution by spending a lot of money on something called a "cover door", but this "cover door" also has an amazing "shelf life". What the hell is going on?

During the Qing Dynasty, the capital was full of shops and commerce flourished, attracting business travelers from all over the country, constituting a prosperous scene. However, this prosperity has been accompanied by the distress of merchants. In addition to paying taxes and guarding against thieves, they also have to deal with two different types of beggars in the capital: ordinary beggars and beggars with special status.

Ordinary beggars in the capital were dressed in rags and looked embarrassed, and the merchants only had to give them some food to send them away. The Yellow Pole Beggar, however, is quite different. Although these beggars are also beggars, they have the identity of banner people, they like to be "poor", usually only appear during festivals, and once they lock a certain store, they will continue to pester until they get the amount of money they want. The merchants were helpless against this, because they did not dare to be rough with the yellow pole beggars, so as not to provoke more of their kind**.

The beggars do not pay attention to hygiene, and their skin is staggeringly thick. They often occupy the door of the merchant's house, with an arrogant posture and refuse to leave. Seeing this, the customers did not dare to patronize them, for fear that the unclean smell of the beggars would contaminate them. Merchants were bothered by this, and a new rule was born. In martial arts**, beggars often have their own organization, and in real life, they have a similar organization, led by a "beggar gang leader". The beggars collect offerings from the beggars and ensure their personal safety. If someone dares to insult or beat a member of a beggar, the leader of the beggar gang will definitely come forward to defend their rights.

In order to get rid of the harassment of beggars, the merchants reached a tacit agreement with the beggars: the merchants could pay 99 taels of silver for the "buyout fund" and get a gourd-shaped sticker (called "cover door" by the folk), which could be affixed to the door frame to prevent the beggars from coming to ask for money. The beggars are convinced of this rule and will leave immediately when they see this gourd sticker and will no longer negotiate with the merchants. Why do beggars believe in this gourd sticker so much?Because the beggar gang leaders regularly provide them with food and money to ensure their basic livelihood, and the main ** of these "relief funds" is the "buyout funds".

However, does having a gourd sticker mean that the merchant is forever free from the entanglement of beggars?Of course not. There is also a "shelf life" for gourd stickers. Generally speaking, the gourd sticker is only valid for one year, and the merchant needs to pay the "buyout fee" again after one year. If the fees are in arrears, a large number of beggars will inevitably gather in front of the merchant's house as a way to remind the merchant to comply with the rules. In addition, gourd-shaped stickers are also easy to lose, and some beggars with bad intentions will steal these stickers for profit. At the same time, natural factors such as wind and rain can also damage the gourd sticker. As a result, merchants often send people to keep an eye on the sticker, put it on when it opens, and take it down when it closes. After all, this is a "life talisman" that they spent a lot of money to buy, and once lost, the loss is not small.

Although beggars deserve sympathy, beggars who have hands and feet but choose to eat lazily do not deserve sympathy. With the advent of the new era, the social welfare system has gradually improved, and the begging group has gradually withdrawn from people's attention.

In the ancient business world, how did merchants use the magic "cover door" to resist beggars?This seemingly simple solution has an amazing "shelf life" behind it, which is an eye-opener!

This essay on how merchants responded to beggarly harassment during the Qing Dynasty gives a sense of the complexity of the business environment in historical eras. At that time, merchants were not only facing tax pressure and theft by thieves, but also beggars, which became a headache.

The phenomenon of "cover doors" mentioned in the article is quite instructive. This kind of gourd-shaped stickers purchased by merchants who pay huge fees to avoid beggar harassment alleviate the plight of merchants to a certain extent. However, what is even more striking is that this "cover door" even has a "shelf life" and can only be used for one year. This rule adds more variability to the trade-off between the merchant and the beggar. Merchants are required to pay regular "buyout funds" or face harassment by beggars. At the same time, stickers are easy to lose and damage, which also becomes an additional burden for merchants, and requires special attention and protection. Behind this interaction, there is a subtle intrigue and interaction between the merchant and the beggar.

However, this story also reflects the inadequacy of social welfare in historical periods. At that time, beggars were a particularly vulnerable group living in difficulty, and their form of existence was very different from the progress of the modern social welfare system. This particular interaction between merchants and beggars is only an expedient measure in the context of the times, and does not really address the problems of poverty and social welfare.

The existence of the beggar gang described in the article is also quite historical. As the representative of the beggars, the beggars accept offerings and ensure the basic livelihood of the beggars. This form of organization played a certain role in the society at that time, but it also highlighted the shortcomings of the social system at that time. Although the beggars fight for the rights and interests of the beggars, the whole system still fails to fundamentally solve the problem of the survival of the beggars.

Finally, with the change of the times, the social welfare system has gradually improved, and the begging group has gradually withdrawn from people's attention. This story has become a special and thought-provoking episode in the long course of history, drawing attention to the importance of welfare systems in modern society and the need for care and support for the disadvantaged.

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