Around 936 AD, a caravan selling tea crossed the trade route between Bianliang and Gangneung and sailed towards Bianliang. On the carriage at the head of the team sat a bright-eyed seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, who was born in Xingzhou, Hebei Province, and defected to his aunt and uncle in the middle of the road. The boy's name was Chai Rong, and since he was a teenager, he had been selling tea on the trade route from Bianliang to Gangneung. Five or six years of business travel have tempered his tenacious character and excellent martial arts, so that he has a deep understanding of the world.
Chai Rong finally bid farewell to his career as a tea seller and embarked on his true path. He became the "Emperor of Conscience" of five generations after Zhou Shizong. In the first year of Xiande (954), Chai Rong's uncle and adoptive father Guo Wei, the Taizu of Zhou, died, and Chai Rong succeeded to the throne as Zhou Shizong according to the edict. Looking back on his journey as a young tea seller, he may have imagined becoming a general or court official under his uncle, but he never expected that he would become an emperor.
Chai Rong's special experience profoundly influenced his governing style, making him an "alternative" among the ancient Chinese emperors. His unusual background and early life experience have given him a unique understanding of the livelihood issues at the lowest level of society. Unlike most of the founders of ancient emperors, Chai Rong was not a low-level citizen, but he honed his pragmatic thinking and businessman's mind in the business world.
In ancient China, the emperors who created a generation often had a deep understanding of the problems of the state and society, because they had been at the bottom and had first-hand experience of the people's livelihood and suffering. However, this understanding tends to fade in the second generation of emperors, because most of the emperors of later generations were born in deep palaces and lacked personal experience of life at the bottom of society.
One of the reasons why Chai Rong became "alternative" was because of his businessman's identity. Merchants are all over the world, involved in all walks of life, and have a dabbling in the three religions and nine streams. Unlike emperors, who were usually influenced by Confucian thought, merchant thinking focused more on solving practical problems and advocating the supremacy of profit. This way of thinking was reflected in Chai Rong's reforms, which made his policies more pragmatic and direct.
Chai Rong's reforms focused on social productive forces, and in particular, made obvious and practical efforts to solve the problem of labor shortages caused by war. He adopted an innovative policy of equalizing land rents, encouraging fugitive households to return to their hometowns to produce and retaining some or all of the land ownership for the settlers. This policy has achieved remarkable results in mobilizing the enthusiasm of workers and promoting the improvement of social productivity.
In addition to the equalization of land rent, Chai Rong also set out to reduce the burden of servitude, and abolished the tax-free privileges of noble landlords through the implementation of the Juntian map. This series of policies directly focuses on people's livelihood issues, protects the rights and interests of workers, and creates favorable conditions for social stability and prosperity.
Chai Rong's reforms focused not only on economic issues, but also on religion. He showed calmness and tolerance in dealing with Buddhist issues. Although he limited the number of Buddhist monasteries and ordered monks and nuns to return to the laity, he did not go to excessive extremism and allowed Buddhism to exist in order to facilitate the normal functioning of society. This rational treatment of religion exemplifies the flexibility and pragmatism of the businessman's thinking.
Chai Rong's reform ideas directly influenced the development of society in the late Later Zhou Dynasty and laid the foundation for the rise of the Song Dynasty. His businessman's mindset, pragmatic approach, and understanding of life at the bottom of society made him an excellent "emperor of conscience" and injected new elements into ancient Chinese political thought.
Under Chai Rong's reign, the "alternative" among the ancient Chinese emperors left a remarkable chapter. He is not only reforming and pragmatic, but also embodies the unique charm of businessman thinking. The framework of reform established by Chai Rong provided a reference for later rulers and became a political model that cannot be ignored in Chinese history.
Chai Rong's life as the "merchant emperor" is legendary, and his reform initiatives show a unique combination of deep understanding and pragmatic thinking for the people at the bottom of society. The essay depicts in detail Chai Rong's travels on the trade routes as a teenager, an experience that had a profound impact on his personality and later ruling style.
As can be seen from the article, Chai Rong's arduous experience in the trade road laid a solid foundation for his future rule. As a businessman, he learned to solve practical problems, focusing on social productivity and a steady supply of labor. This pragmatic businessman's mindset permeated his reform policies, especially in the area of equalizing land rents, through flexible and innovative policies, encouraging fugitive households to return to their hometowns and promoting the rapid increase of social productivity. This kind of practical reform measures that focus on people's livelihood issues are extremely valuable, and Chai Rong's pragmatic approach is easier to reflect in the lives of the people at the bottom than some empty theoretical reforms.
Another impressive thing is Chai Rong's handling of religious issues. He did not blindly reject Buddhism, but approached religious affairs with a calm and tolerant attitude. While prohibiting the privilege of tax exemption for monks and nuns, he preserved the existence of Buddhism and took reasonable restrictive measures to avoid the social unrest that might arise from excessive interference in religious affairs. This rational and tolerant way of dealing with the problem shows the political wisdom of Chai Rong in his rule, and also reflects the intuitive, pragmatic and flexible way of dealing with problems in the businessman's thinking.
From Chai Rong's reforms, we can see the shining light of the merchant spirit. The merchant mindset usually focused on solving practical problems, valuing efficiency and practical benefits, in contrast to the tendency of some emperors to solve practical problems around empty ideological topics. Chai Rong's reforms, whether dealing with economic or social issues, reflected the practicality and pragmatism of the businessman's spirit. This way of thinking was an innovation for the emperor, and it also provided a new perspective for the later political system.
In general, Chai Rong was a "merchant emperor" who stood out in the ancient political arena. His reform policy not only paid attention to the actual needs of the people at the bottom of the society, but also fully reflected the flexibility and pragmatism of businessmen's thinking. Chai Rong's life provided valuable lessons for later rulers and gave us a deeper understanding of the role of merchants in politics.
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