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Section 6 Discussion of Trade 2
Ji Situi said disdainfully: "This is my great achievement of the Qing Dynasty. Even if it is not the prosperous age of the Ming Dynasty, you can read the full text."
"Although I don't want to get involved in some senseless disputes, I must say that this is a fact. In a society that can produce the buds of capitalism, business activities will inevitably be more active, and this reflects higher per capita purchasing power and living standards." Immediately. Youmingfen supports the views of the Minister of Chemical Industry.
"Another factor is that the late Qing Dynasty was extremely heavy on gold, while the Ming Dynasty had almost no customs duties. Therefore, the flow of goods in the late Qing Dynasty was actually very poor, and everyone tended to localized natural economic production." Ji Situi continued.
Du Wen talked eloquently: "The result of the increased commercialization rate in the late Ming Dynasty was increased exploitation and social unrest, which was also the case in the old China for a hundred years. In addition, the commercialization rate in the Qing Dynasty was low and the power of the landlords and gentry was suppressed, and the population increased and It is related to the insufficient carrying capacity of urban population under the old transportation environment.”
"Don't talk too far." Ma Qianzhu stopped Du Wen from continuing to talk, and Du Wen obeyed and shut up.
"I think the so-called germination of capitalism in the Ming Dynasty is exaggerated. The consumption level of ordinary people is obvious to all from D-day to now. How much purchasing power do you think such a society has?"
"Your metaphor is not very good. The consumption level of Lingao in the 21st century is not high either."
"Even Lingao in the 21st century is a commercial society, not a natural economic society. The difference is huge."
“It makes no sense to use Lingao as an example regardless of time and space,” Wen Desi said, “just like those foreign capitalists who hoped in the early days of reform and opening up that every Chinese in China could make a fortune by buying the same thing as me. Ninety percent of Chinese people still won’t buy his stuff. Spending power has only been concentrated in big cities since ancient times. Our status is actually the same as these capitalists. The market seems vast, but we can only choose We sell our products to those regions that have the ability. Guangdong, Jiangnan, and the capital are the sales markets for our products - other places are automatically ignored. The people in the Central Plains and northwest are not even able to be peace dogs and will not come to consume our products. "
Luo Duo said: "These places are automatically filtered. Let's just talk about the possible goals mentioned by Mr. Wen. There is no liqian. Is the circulation of goods good? The fundamental problem is that ordinary people have no money. What they use for consumption has nothing to do with consumption habits. If you don’t have money, you naturally have to save. The reason why you don’t consume is still one word: poor.”
"I don't think so: just look at the local landowners and you will know. No matter how wealthy you are, you can actually eat fine grains and meat every meal. But the level of consumption is that most landowners often eat sweet potato porridge. Meat is also celebrated during the holidays. Just eat it.”
Du Wen said: "Under the conditions of clan small-scale peasant economy, in many cases labor value plus diligence and frugality are the only way to accumulate original capital. The habit of agricultural labor makes people avoid opportunistic values and risk values."
Yu Eshui nodded and said: "So, taking the domestic sales route must start with changing consumption habits, but how to achieve it specifically?"
"Cultivation of the middle class. The purchasing power of people at the bottom is very limited."
"It's too simple, a typical middle-class omnipotence theory." Du Wen sneered at such a lack of depth speech, "In my opinion, to change this habit, we must at least achieve the following points: 1. Change the natural economic growth in ancient China. First, change the value of agricultural liberal capitalism; second, create a "middle class"; third, improve the overall per capita economic level. The third point is that it was too slow a process in ancient times or before the second industrial revolution. The time traveler should not expect the national average per capita in his lifetime. The economic level has improved several times. The second point to note is that it is not the capitalist or landlord class, but it is still very difficult to overcome the natural laws of social Darwinism and create a date-core society. Moreover, in ancient times, the per capita economic level was limited and it was impossible to improve very quickly. Even if it is fast, the date-core society will still have a destructive effect on social stability. In short: the natural economic society is a fairly stable system, and it is impossible to change it without paying great social turmoil and costs."
"My head is bound to hurt when I hear Queen's Thoughts. But despite those gorgeous words, I still think you are right." He Ying said.
Ma Qianzhu said: "No personal attacks. If there are arguments to discuss, let's talk around the issues."
"I also agree with Luo Duo. We still need to look at consumption habits from an economic perspective." Wu Nanhai said, "When you have money, you will naturally consume, and you also need to look for consumption habits. I am willing to wait half an hour more every day, just to That one-dollar bus ticket. Such parents are often willing to spend thousands of dollars to sign up their children for a so-called art class."
"No, no. Economic conditions are only one factor. For example, everyone thinks that selling soap is the way to go. In fact, whether it is for home use or for helpers, the people who use soap are basically the working people of the lower class. And this thrifty habit often does not come from a certain person. It is a sense of responsibility, but it is purely a result of habit - even if you are a servant in a foreigner's house, you will naturally make unnecessary savings for your master."
"Our soap is considered a first-class luxury product. It is specially designed for ladies and famous prostitutes. The Eight Beauties of Qinhuai should have become famous by now. If we give them a try, it will become a living advertisement."
"How much can I sell it for?"
"In fact, the demand for soap should be huge. Most service industries have considerable demand. Whether it is brothels, restaurants, medicine halls, bathhouses, theaters, art gardens, mines, cloth shops, etc., these are all The market is already huge, even if there is no soap, using soap powder is still a concept. Besides, the cost of soap is not high, and the capital of middle-class households is enough. Is it true that only young ladies have the demand for practical things?"
He Ying said: "Although the words are good, but there is a demand, it does not mean that your product can meet this demand. There is no difference without soap. In addition, the function of soap does not disappear just because it does not exist, it is just that other methods are used It’s just a substitute. Like pig’s pancreas and soap locust. Especially the soap locust is almost free. No matter how cheap the soap is, it can be compared with the free soap locust picked from the tree.”
"In the final analysis, it is still a word of poverty. The reason why such consumption habits are formed is not for nothing." Wang Luobin said, "The information mentioned by Yu Eshui, time, physical strength, comfort, convenience, etc. are all free, as long as you can save even With a copper plate, you can squander these free elements. And until now, some elderly people’s consumption concept is to only look at the price but not the quality. Therefore, I think that instead of considering how to open the market with advanced future products, the business route is better We used our technological advantages to reduce costs and produce products that were popular at the time, and we relied on price advantages to make profits.”
"For example, if there are people who can make better paper at less cost, this is a huge business opportunity. Or if there is a better way to make better and more fuel-efficient lamps, this is also a huge business opportunity. Even It is a good idea to make porcelain objects more functional and artistic. This is also a huge business opportunity. There are new iron smelting processes, improved iron tools, improved iron quality and excellent prices. This is not a business opportunity, even if it is a luxury level, as long as If we grasp the creativity, the profits from the high-end market can also lead to good business opportunities.”
No matter how self-sufficient a natural economic society is, it still needs to import commodities. It’s not that people don’t consume, it’s that there are no better products for them to consume. This can be illustrated by the increasing number of imports after the five-port trade in the late Qing Dynasty. Why kerosene and matches can crowd out the Chinese market? Chinese people did not suddenly become rich in the decades of the late Qing Dynasty. It is just that kerosene and matches are much easier to use than previous products, but the cost of use has not increased much.
In the real world, this is the process by which China's domestic small-scale peasant economy and natural economy are broken. There are not many new concepts, but the dumping of cheaper and slightly easier-to-use foreign goods has broken the original small-scale economic system.
"So, we actually don't need too many fancy foreign trade products."
"Well, in my opinion, once the three acids and two bases are put into production, our most advantageous mass product will be paper."
The consumption of paper is very huge, and there are many levels of consumption. From writing imperial edicts to wiping buttocks, all kinds of paper are inseparable. The chemical pulping technology mastered by time travellers, in this time and space, is enough to shut down paper mills across the country - provided that the business network of time travelers can reach the whole country.
"Sewing needles and matches are also acceptable. Let's just focus on the sales of these three products." Ma Qianxu said, "Currently, glass products, the mainstay of trade, can only be regarded as luxury goods."
"Luxury goods should also be seen in two." Wen Desi said, "Glass mirrors are now luxury goods. According to the market in Guangzhou, oval mirrors are sold for hundreds of taels. Only those rich people can afford such a price. Affordable - Don't be fooled by the shipment volume. Guangzhou was the most prosperous city in South China at that time, with more wealthy people. We must take a broader view of the market. Let those middle-class families also be able to afford it. Affordable.”
“Reducing the price?”
"It's not just about reducing prices. It's about differentiating product grades." Wen Desi has been thinking about this issue for a long time. A small amount of hugely profitable luxury goods cannot compare with the massive amount of mass consumer goods in terms of total profitability. Just look at the Fortune 500 companies in the 20th century and you will know that the companies that occupy the forefront of corporate scale, profits and sales figures are basically those companies that provide general consumer goods.
"Mirrors are not technically difficult. After we master the glass manufacturing technology, mass production of glass mirrors is just a matter of time and raw material supply." Wen Desi said, "Take this opportunity to develop a complete mirror product series. From sales We produce everything from large, full-length glass mirrors for rich people to small rough-edged mirrors that ordinary people can afford.",.
