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| Death: the dead end sand owner Wang Yongsheng |
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The summer of 1862, Shanghai sand industry veteran Wang Yongsheng into a deep trouble, and that he had just swallowed poison, a boatman, diving suicide. The highly acclaimed reputation for kind-hearted owner of the ship, because of that fell into the raging moral judgments, the "merciless", became synonymous with him.
However, Wang Yongsheng also have their own helplessness.
Sand transport in the Xianfeng reign was unprecedented prosperity. From north to south transport soybeans, grain transport from south to north, more than a month from a trip, one can sand a year from seven or eight times, profit. Shanghai height when there is sand 5000, Mariner 10 million people. |
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However, since 1842, the "Nanjing Treaty" and 1860 "Beijing Treaty", the Chinese many ports open to ships of the influx of Western, traditional Chinese sand quickly pushed to the passenger and freight transport bubble collapse point. Whether it is speed, load, security, or the price of sand is not the traditional opponent of Western ships. But four or five years before the project, Shanghai has dropped four of sand five hundred, Huangpu beach, stranded with thousands of wooden boat, despite the wind and sun, natural Xiufu.
Wang Yongsheng fleet is no exception deserting all the way down. Not a business, but also a few series of ship sank. Suicide sailors, a few months without a job, home, do nothing to boil, another disease in the body, due to his dozens of ounces of silver. Wang Yongsheng morning, bad mood, a sailor shouted meal, guessed that he turned to find a short-sighted.
Other owners are also the same despair and Wang Yongsheng. Hardware, software, people can not compete with foreign suppliers, but to look official to negotiate. Owners get together to talk, the result is the same elected official Wang Yongsheng leading destination submission, pleading official negotiations with foreigners, soybean, grain of sand franchise business is transferred to China, foreign investors must not intervene.
Submission in the passage when he touched the Nanyang trade minister Li. Submission says, if the sand industry bankruptcy, not just the problem of unemployment more than ten million boatman also likely to provoke popular revolt, and thus the court's grain transportation lines may also be damaged. Submissions will be forwarded to Prime Minister Li Yamen, strongly push for this, but the British minister met a setback at Wade, Wade on the spot refused, claiming that triggered all the consequences, all by the Qing government to be responsible.
Things undone, as a "comfort", the Qing court's reduction of the sand three percent "to help Xiangyin" and three percent of the "Bu Dao silver", but in the end a tiny fraction of the grain freight alone a court, the industry has long been inadequate to maintain the sand . In 1869, the Suez Canal, two years after the Eurasian section of the laying of submarine cables to Shanghai Far East, more rounds of the Western business into China, sand industry situation worse.
During the Yamen has ordered cabinet ministers, foreign trade minister of North-South co-financing proposal to solve the crisis regarding water transport. The result is three recommendations. First, repair canals, restore river; second is to repair all the waste of sand, continue to maintain the sea; Third, the court increased the water transport industry, shipping sand to save the brink of bankruptcy sand industry.
Three kinds of proposals have been refuted by Li. Lee said that the canal more than 800 years, every effort, but the annual transport capacity of one hundred thousand stone, in the overall water transport does not help; obviously a convenient shipping conditions have to spend huge sums of money to repair the canal, would not be crazy; repair sand, at least 30 million silver two teams, the need to build more storage capacity more than 400 million stone blocks, the court where there is so much money? Increase in freight transport by water sand, they save a moment, they are not a permanent solution.
Zeng also were caught in the deep contradictions. Back in 1867, Yung Wing had suggested that he shares the use of investment set way to buy foreign round, set up China's own shipping company, to save water transport. Tseng Kuo-fan's point of view, but standing, holding stability has become the first factors to be considered. Therefore, his reply was: "carrier grain ... ... in the sand for the common industry, not a last resort, nor will hurry for change map", his concern is that heaven of chaos just calm down, people are not solid, once the court development ship, more than ten million owners and boatmen sand sailors lost vitality, will lead to massive popular revolt and riot.
But sand industry, after all, to a dead end. March 1872, again wrote to Tseng Kuo-fan Yamen, Li, asked regarding the use of water transport ship to bear the hope that they come up with a viable solution. A month later, Zeng Passed died, something completely landed him in Li. Years later, Li Merchants Steam Navigation Company will continue to run their business on the issue as one the most spectacular success of its claim: "Merchants ships, in fact, offer the most Westernization four decades succeeded text." |
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| Injury: Merchants Steam Navigation Company's "country back into the" tragedy |
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Is a good starting point - "strong military" to be after the "rich"; but the outcome is very regrettable - established since 1872, to the end of 1949, 77 years, numerous and unorganized Merchants Steam Navigation Company changes ownership, the total impossible to escape bureaucratic capital and private commercial capital and anti-annexation annexation between the game (described in this article beyond the late Qing).
Officials and businessmen co-period: no private capital dare shares
August 1872, the first official charter Merchants' ships and the investment strategy section of the process "came out, clearly defines the nature of the enterprise is" co-officials and businessmen. "
Required by the statute, the Ministry allocated 200,000 string of copper cash as capital to start a business, "to show the letter to the public business." However, there is no clear business unit provides the rights and obligations, and no company-specific equity related to the distribution, and management has Merchants official, the official charge only government benefits, not responsible for the profit and loss responsibilities clearly defined. |
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Merchants that have become an important factor in the early unfavorable investment, Hu and other giants are not interested in investing Merchants.
To December this year, Merchants had to be the first reorganization, re-proposed "Merchants regulations," 28, a clear emphasis on the rights of Chinese businessmen shares, where shares were able to enjoy the dividends. Meanwhile, the official re-emphasized the absolute leadership and maintenance of government revenue.
Office during the official Governor's Business: Merchants quite good profit
Unfavorable situation to break the investment, 1873, Li sent comprador businessmen Tong King-sing and Xu Yun-born director of Merchants Affairs, the Western attempt to introduce a complete enterprise management mode of operation. Tang, Xu two that "any inconvenience by the Business Council works either by the government" to require excluding government-run factors, according to "normal trading" shares of recruitment - Previously, Tang was criticized Merchants' officials and businessmen organized "can be said sharply: "Businessmen only money obligations, but no power to operate. made a better business that lost to whom to make the theory?"
Tang, Li Xu's request for written authorization of the new "Merchants constitution", the Board's stock instead welcomed by private investors, there has been an oversupply situation. Merchants operating guidelines, also developed by the official prior to the "grain carrier, and Showmanship goods", converted to a "get set as the first meaning, the second meaning yuncao."
This policy change, both within the private commercial capital the upper hand in the performance of Merchants, also embodies the modern Chinese private capital to compete with foreign capital, the confidence - the company's main business carried on passenger and cargo, then is bound to happen with foreign shipping companies competition. Since then, the British Pacific, Jardine Shipping Company, the U.S. flag shipping companies have repeatedly chang Merchants launched for commercial warfare, familiar in the Lord of the business operations of modern Western law "comprador shareholders," the co-operation, shewan bankruptcy, Koo, Yi and then three times with the Merchants were forced to sign a "contract price together."
1875 Merchants lower prices in foreign joint onslaught of bad situation, profit of 15 million two; 1876, profit of 34 million two; 1877, after two relief donated 30,000, 42 million profit two; 1879 Freight return to normal conditions, profit doubled, more than 76 million ounces.
Country back: the nationalization of 1884 Merchants
Court, "the official Governor's" level of policy support, and experienced "Business Office" co-operation between the manager, is open up the situation quickly Merchants, among the foreign shipping companies in the large main reason.
But financial turmoil in Shanghai in 1883, and the following year in the spring of Qing defeat in the Sino-French War, reversing the steady upward trend Merchants.
Lead to reversal of the most serious impact from the personnel changes.
Xu Yun hosted service bureau, prior to diversion of capital of 16 million two Merchants engaged in real estate business in Shanghai, the financial wave of land prices fell, Hsu repay misappropriated funds. Sheng Li timely insert the trusted Merchants, entrusted with the task of inspectors. Into the Bureau, Sheng Xu Yun quickly found the misappropriation of situation, forcing it to own stocks and real estate mortgage to Merchants, and then pushed it out the door. Tong King-sing completely out soon also excluded, Merchants, instead focus on the Kaiping coal mine operations.
To 1885, Merchants of the "business office" color no longer exists. Sheng, White, Merchants quickly lead a "government-run" - although not to change the "official Governor's Business Office," the fourth approach, but also directly declared Sheng: Merchants Since then, all matters, including employment, financial, etc., all by the Prime Minister supervision, and supervision of the Minister of the appointment and removal is subject to approval of the Northern, the total run around the office, the boat of the comprador, appointment and removal from supervision. In other words, leave the "official Governor's Business Office" of the text, in order to appease the people within the company; while operating power, it really perpetrating a fraud, all to the Crown.
Li in 1883 to enable this critical moment, Sheng, Xu Yun and supplant Tong, there is a reason. As early as before the financial turmoil, Xu, Tang had been repeatedly raised two, Merchants operations on track, must ensure the independence of its operations. Should try to avoid official intervention, in other words, Xu, Tang They expect to withdraw state capital from the Merchants.
This is Li can not tolerate.
Sheng's new program was announced, shareholders in the Merchants set off a storm. Supervision of court-appointed Prime Minister of all the affairs of the company, equivalent to depriving the people 'shareholders in the company's voice, as the investor, they completely lost the right to say in corporate affairs. Local branch "Total Office", was originally recommended by the shareholders, and now all go supervise the appointment and removal, which will inevitably lead to the branch head of only one person responsible for Sheng, rather than the interests of shareholders of the company responsible.
Merchants in 1884, which became the most important turning point in history. Substantially since the beginning of private commercial capital exit. 1883 is the peak of the total capital Merchants, of 533.4637 million taels of silver, then dropped all the way to 1890, total capital remaining 275.0559 million ounces. Merchants along the line in the decadent, while Sheng is in a fully developed within the company to its core vertical control network, and ultimately the formation of Merchants stock "Sheng shares many unique" situation, by the Merchants' Business Office "to" government-run ", but also become Sheng personal" empire building. "
Merchants Steam Navigation Company has thus become a tool to serve the court, from 1884 to 1911, 27 years, Merchants Steam Navigation Company and the other "official Governor's Business Office" Business Telegraph, the government reimbursed a total of more than 350 million ounces of silver , the two companies accounted for 65% of total share capital. By 1920, the ship has lost 20 million taels of silver Merchants is huge. |
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