The role of Jiangxi guild hall

1) meeting place. Mediation and adjudication of disputes. The usual business of Wanshou Palace is mainly to mediate disputes, with two or three cases almost every day, as many as five or six cases. Its main functions are: solving commercial disputes and mediating internal contradictions. In order to avoid unnecessary commercial disputes, business activities such as renting shops, dissolving partnerships, buying and selling houses and pawning real estate will be invited to testify. In addition, contradictions and disputes of one kind or another will inevitably occur between fellow villagers, such as family in-laws, property inheritance, neighborhood discord, quarrels and fights. When the contradiction intensifies, they will turn to the leaders of the guild hall to be "peacemakers", that is, the so-called "tea picking" to judge, so as to distinguish right from wrong and solve disputes. Solve commercial disputes and mediate internal contradictions. Between fellow villagers, commercial activities such as renting shops, dissolving partnerships, buying and selling houses, and mortgaging real estate should all invite the person in charge of Wanshou Palace to testify at the scene to avoid intensification of commercial conflicts.

(2) Holding charitable places. Contact the villagers, unite and help fellow villagers who travel to and from this town, and solve some temporary difficulties for them. For example, give the unemployed and homeless people in the same town a place to stay, or subsidize the travel expenses for returning home, or help introduce jobs so that they will not be displaced and sleep on the streets. In ancient times, there were private schools and schools in Wanshou Palace in many places, which provided educational opportunities for the children of Jiangyou businessmen living in the local area. The establishment of these undertakings has made certain contributions to improving the local cultural level. Some longevity palaces also set up Yidu, nurseries, sanatoriums, building bridges and paving roads, giving alms to coffins and other charitable causes.

(3) Places of worship and sacrifice. The public sacrifice activities of Jiangyou merchants are mainly held in Wanshou Palace. The most prominent religious culture of Jiangyou merchants is the activity of "worshipping the true king", and Wanshou Palace regularly holds "worshipping the gods" activities. Although the activities of "worshipping God" vary from place to place, some are held by the largest local longevity palace, and some are held separately, but the time is the same, from the first day of August to the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar. "Pilgrimage" is the biggest and most grand activity in every longevity palace in a year. Jiangyou businessmen from all over the country will make donations and raise funds on the stage of the "pilgrimage" to the real king, and welcome the troupe to perform at the Wanshou Palace. In the autumn of August in the lunar calendar, farmers' farm work has also come to an end. The plays that farmers like to watch are staged in the busiest commercial street, and they are free, and local people come to watch them one after another. Every year, it has become a major feature of the Wanshou Palace where Jiangyou merchants are located.

In "Social Drama", Lu Xun also described the situation of watching free outdoor drama in Shaoxing as a teenager. However, it costs money to invite the troupe to perform. Jiangyou businessmen invite many theatrical troupes to perform in Wanshou Palace every year, sometimes for a month. Why do they spend so much money? In fact, this is a business strategy tradition of Jiangyou businessmen, which closely links "pilgrimage" activities with commercial activities, creates commercial popularity and expands commodity sales. This strategy should be said to be successful. If this kind of activity loses money, it will not be held every year for a long time. It can be said that the Wanshou Palace Theater held by Jiangyou merchants is the predecessor of the commercial temple fair held today.

Besides the pilgrimage, there are other activities to worship gods and ancestors in Wanshou Palace, such as burning paper in Tomb-Sweeping Day, fighting alone on the Mid-Autumn Festival (called July 30), and ancestor worship during the winter solstice and the Lunar New Year. Wanshou Palace regularly holds sacrificial activities recognized by fellow villagers. The time of the activity and the arrangement of singing are decided by the person in charge of Wanshou Palace and the local director of Jiangyou Commercial. The activity place is usually held in Wanshou Palace. For example, in addition to the birthday of Zhenjun on the 28th day of the first month of each year and the annual worship ceremony of Xu Zhenjun, the birthday of Guanyin Bodhisattva on February 19, the Taoist Day of Guanyin Bodhisattva on June 19, the "worship ceremony" of Zhenjun from the first day of August to 15, and September/kloc-0.

(4) Commercial intermediary. Jingdezhen is a city centered on porcelain industry, and Jiangyou merchants have played an active role in communicating domestic and foreign economies, actively exchanging materials and prospering Jingdezhen porcelain market. It can be said that Wanshou Palace is a link between Kyocera and the external economy.

Wherever Jiangyou businessmen travel, they will stop at Wanshou Palace to seek help and exchange information. When Nanchang businessmen go to Jingdezhen, they usually live in Wanshou Palace, otherwise they will not be helped by Nanchang businessmen living in Jingdezhen, and they may be excluded by their fellow villagers. Smart businessmen will not lose a lot of business information and possible convenience in order to save some accommodation expenses. For businessmen, information is money In order to obtain accurate information, Nanchang businessmen usually use the intermediary of Wanshou Palace to complete the purchase of porcelain.

(5) fund-raising places. The author's grandfather's brother has been a manager of Hongjiang Petroleum Company in Hunan all the year round, and he is very clear about Hongjiang Youjiang's activities. According to him, there are two main forms of fund-raising activities within Jiangyou merchants:

One is to raise funds in the form of "shake the meeting". Generally, this form should be held in Wanshou Palace, and the head of the first meeting and more than half of the first scholars should be present to testify, and the promoter must be an honest and reliable businessman among Jiangyou businessmen, otherwise no one wants to participate in the shake meeting, so the fund-raising of the "shake meeting" will be aborted. The general process is as follows: the sponsor has difficulties that everyone knows, and they are temporary difficulties, and they must also be people with repayment ability. Then the sponsors need to get the support of several big families in advance to determine the total amount of funds to be raised. Then, through mutual influence and contact, we generally talk about good people and make an appointment for everyone to bring money and gather in the hall of Wanshou Palace. Organizers must prepare melon seeds, cakes and snacks for participants in advance. When everyone is here, the person in charge of Wanshou Palace, that is, the person in charge, announces the reasons for raising funds, the amount and total amount of each share, the participants and the time for raising funds, and finally announces that the promoters have priority to get the first meeting, and the rest of the participants get the second meeting and the third meeting in turn according to the points. I am not interested in raising money by shaking the club. The people behind me have made great contributions, but they have no complaints. Generally, it will not breach the contract, otherwise this person will become a target of public criticism, or more seriously, he will lose credibility and be untenable among Jiangyou businessmen connected with this town.

Second, raise funds in the form of shares. In 1990s, the author visited Zou, a Jiangyou businessman whose ancestral home is Fengcheng, Jiangxi, and now lives in Guiyang. According to the old man, he was poor when he was a child and went out to do business with his uncle. During the Anti-Japanese War, he trafficked porcelain, cloth and other commodities from Jiangxi to Guizhou, and also sold medicinal materials from Guizhou to Jiangxi Zhangshu, and never escaped. As long as he doesn't prostitute or gamble, he can make a fortune. If he is liberated in a few years, he will be rich. Ask him why he is so sure? He said: in my first year as an apprentice, my boss paid for food, shelter and clothing, and at the end of the year, I paid ten yuan; Because I am young and capable, my boss gave me a salary of 20 yuan in the second year, plus the 4 yuan I got from the first year's 10, making a total of 24 pieces of silver. In the third year, I can get a master's degree, and my annual income is about 100 yuan. With the bonus, I can get more than 100 yuan every year from the third year. Some people can't help it, either whoring or gambling. They can't save money every year, where there are bonuses, and sometimes they have to advance their wages. From the mouth of the old man Zou, we know that this business group is a business group of Jiangyou, which raises funds in the form of internal shares, and the people who hold more shares are responsible. This form is the main form for Jiangyou businessmen to raise funds. In addition, there are other forms, such as, funded by the owner and operated by the man; Several owners jointly invest in one or two shops run by owners.