Research on Business Evolution in Luoyi in Pre-Qin Period

Abstract

The early period of Western Zhou Dynasty witnessed the germination of commerce in Luoyi. After the Emperor Ping moved the capital to Luoyi, the city, as the capital of Zhou Royal Family, it played a vital role in politics inCentral Plains and the role of business had been promoted greatly. By Warring States Period, Zhou Royal Family continued fading while Luoyi declined politically as well. Zhou People took advantage of Luoyi's favorable geological position and the unique special status of the dynasty to revitalize the capital via business and commerce. Thereby, Luoyi maintained the position of national business center and some economic departments developed even faster. On the whole, in the Pre-Qin Period, the political status of Luoyi continued to decline gradually while it played an increasingly important role in businesses. Through investigating the business development history in Luoyi in Pre-Qin period, a case study is provided to study China's early business development. Luoyang, called Luoyi in ancient China, was named after its sunny side of the Luoshui River. It was located at the southern riverside of the Yellow River's middle reaches. The Yellow River basin has been reputed as the cradle of Chinese civilization while Luoyi was at the center of the cradle. Over the past thousand years, it was the national political, economic and cultural center. However, the previous researches failed to study the continuous business development from early Western Zhou Dynasty to East Zhou Dynasty, which led to incomplete understanding of Luoyi's business development in Pre-Qin Period. Centering on historic conditions of business development, market setting, business policies of the dynasty, its role in trade and changes of its political status in that period, it observedchanges of Luoyi's political status in Pre-Qin Dynasty. By finding the characteristics of business development in various periods, it penetrates the development history of Zhou Royal Family from the dynastic perspective.