An oil painting from 1780; It shows the bases of merchants from various Western powers - Denmark, Spain, United States, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, established with Canton Factories.

Cantonese merchants (Cantonese Jyutping: Jyut6 soeng1; Traditional Chinese: 粵商) refers to merchants of Cantonese origin, though sometimes it is used to include Hakka and Teochew merchants who originated from the Southern Chinese province of Guangdong, where Cantonese people have been the dominant demographic. For most of the second millennium AD, some important ports of successive Chinese dynasties have been situated in Guangdong, resulting in the formation of a distinct business culture which many cultural studies and business scholars have sought to examine.[1][2]

Characteristics

Located in the southern fringe of China, far away from center of power, adjacent to Hong Kong and Macau, Cantonese merchants were the first to open up the market to Western European commerce and to accept economic and cultural exchange with Southeast Asia. As a result, a unique business culture emerged. According to scholars, the main characteristics of Cantonese merchants include:[3][4][5]

  • Strong market sensitivity: Cantonese merchants are quick to discover new business opportunities. They are decisive and bold while others are hesitant. This is considered one of the reasons why Cantonese businessmen, among Han Chinese business people, are usually among the first to adopt advanced technology in doing their businesses.
  • Acceptance and inclusiveness: Cantonese merchants are open to a variety of capable people and new techniques. It has been pointed out that they are generally able to learn with open minds and are conducive to criticism and young talents. Scholars have also suggested that this is why many successful Cantonese merchants are of lower-class origins.
  • Pragmatism and robustness: Cantonese merchants do not make rash decisions. They do things step-by-step, believing that "only money actually in one's hand can be considered 'earned'". They avoid take risk unless they have thoroughly studied it. Their pragmatism prevents them from using garish means to do promotion. For instance, when Zhengzhou Asia tried to open department stores near Guangzhou, they attempted to use drum bands to welcome their customers every morning, but Cantonese businessmen did not see the meaning of it and none of them adopt the practice.
  • Belief in hard work: Most Cantonese business started from small business - such as hawkers - and tend to maintain a belief in hard work even when they have become big and successful. Among Cantonese merchants, it is quite common to see the boss running the stores personally while the staff rest, or the boss cleaning the stores by him/herself.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cheng, Y. H., & Huang, P. Y. (2008). A Review of the Research on the Culture of Cantonese Merchants [J]. Journal of Guangdong University of Business Studies, 3, 013.
  2. ↑ Burgess, J. S. (1909). A Study of the Characteristics of the Cantonese Merchants in Chinatown, New York, as Shown by Their Use of Leisure Time. Columbia University.
  3. ↑ 黄华. (2007). “粤商” 企业文化创新研究. 广东商学院学报, (3), 24-27.
  4. ↑ 刘昱. (2006). 广东区域经济的发展: 基于创业型经济的分析. 暨南学报 (哲学社会科学版), 28(6), 69-72.
  5. ↑ 彭澎, & 张菊梅. (2007). 新粤商的特征变化及其更换模式研究. 珠江经济, (11), 70-74.
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