Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Overview — Trade (I)
Chapter 8: Trade. Trade in Xiangxi includes three aspects: domestic trade, ethnic trade and foreign trade. Each has distinctive features and notable achievements. Section 1: Domestic Trade. I. Traditional Market Trade. Trade in Xiangxi originated from market fairs. 'Ask where the market is, count the days to buy firewood and vegetables.' Since ancient times, there have been traditional...
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Chapter 8 Trade
Trade in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture includes three aspects: domestic trade, ethnic trade and foreign trade. Each type of trade has distinctive characteristics and remarkable achievements. Section 1 Domestic Trade
I. Traditional Market Trade
Trade in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture originated from market trade. "When meeting people, ask about the market; count the days to buy firewood and vegetables." Since ancient times, there has been traditional market trade here. People exchanged goods and adjusted surpluses and shortages through going to market fairs. The market fairs here took various forms. Those generally located at land transport hubs were called "dry route markets," and those located at wharves along the banks of the Yuan, Li, You and Wu rivers were called "water route markets." By market day schedule, there were regular markets every three or five days, staggered markets with alternating market dates in neighboring areas, and fixed markets where vendors set up stalls every day and merchants bought goods every day. Luxi Pushi, Huayuan Chadong and Masu Market, Fenghuang Alaying, Baojing Fuxing Market, Yongshun Wangcun, Longshan Liye and Zhaoshi were all famous market fairs. The number of people coming to these markets ranged from tens of thousands to at least several thousand, playing an important role in the circulation of goods in the border areas of Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces.
In market trade, cattle markets, horse markets, and pig markets were distinctive specialized markets, among which cattle and horse trading was particularly unique. According to the Yongshui Ting Zhi (Gazetteer of Yongshui Prefecture): "Cattle and horses are priced by the number of fist-widths, regardless of age; a wooden stick is used to measure from the ground to the saddle position, and one reaching thirteen fist-widths is considered large; those with fewer teeth and more fist-widths command a higher price; the opposite is inferior—this is collectively called 'comparing horses.'" The yellow cattle, black pigs, and white goats of the Wuling Mountain area are of excellent quality and have an extremely wide market. Those coming here to buy cattle include, from within Hunan Province, the regions of Changde, Yiyang, Changsha, Xiangtan, Loudi, and Shaoyang, and from outside, the provinces of Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Hubei. During the 10 years of the "Cultural Revolution," with "rushing to the socialist grand market" and "cutting off the tails of capitalism," all 71 original cattle markets were closed, and pig and cattle trade could only be handed over to purchasing stations and could not be sold on the market, causing livestock production to decline sharply. After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, policies were relaxed and the economy was revitalized, and traditional rural markets rapidly recovered. By 1982, all 71 cattle markets had been restored, with 50,000 head of draft cattle traded that year. All 175 pig markets were restored, with 1.31 million head of live pigs traded over three years. In 1995, the 8 counties and cities of the prefecture newly built, rebuilt, or expanded 171 urban and rural markets, with 15,790 shops entering the markets; that year the business turnover of individual and private commerce was 1.07835 billion yuan, accounting for 48.21% of the prefecture's total retail sales of consumer goods.
Under the conditions of the socialist market economy, individual and private industrial and commercial enterprises developed faster and with better results. By the end of 2000, there were 182 markets approved and registered by the prefecture and county/city industrial and commercial administrative management departments; there were 1,057 private industrial and commercial enterprises with 17,074 employees and registered capital of 481.91 million yuan; 115,972 individual industrial and commercial households with 210,000 employees and registered capital of 531.99 million yuan; the total transaction value of rural markets was 2.9 billion yuan, accounting for 85.3% of that year's total retail sales of consumer goods. In the total retail sales of consumer goods, individual and private industry and commerce already occupied a pivotal position. In 2005, private enterprises grew to 1,965 households, with 31,834 employees.
II. State-Owned and Collective Commerce
During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the coastal provinces fell one after another, and outside merchants moved inland in succession. Places such as Pushi, Wangcun, Liye, and Chadong became important commercial ports, and private trade was very developed. Subsequently the civil war broke out, with continuous warfare and disasters, merchants flowed away, and the market was depressed. There once appeared the difficult situation of "a dou of rice for a jin of salt," which seriously affected the production and life of all ethnic groups.
After the founding of New China, the people's governments of the counties in the prefecture quickly established state-owned trading companies, organized large quantities of salt, cloth, and daily necessities to supply urban and rural markets, and met the material living needs of all ethnic groups. Supply and marketing cooperatives were quickly established to organize the supply of agricultural production materials such as farm tools, seeds, and chemical fertilizers, and to purchase large quantities of agricultural and sideline local products in support of agricultural production. Socialist transformation was carried out on private industry and commerce, and in 1955 public-private joint operation was realized across all trades. From 1958 to 1978, it was basically a world dominated solely by state-owned and collective commerce. In 1958, the total retail sales of consumer goods in the 10 counties of the prefecture was 84.18 million yuan, and in 1978 it was 247.02 million yuan, growing only 1.93 times in 20 years.
During the planned economy period, everything was produced according to plan, everything was supplied by ration coupons, materials were in long-term shortage, and development speed was not fast. After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture adhered to the policy of reform, opening up, and revitalization, paid attention to developing the individual and private economy, and developed commodity production. Specialized households and key households appearing as commodity producers continuously increased and began to engage in long-distance trafficking. On February 15, 1983, Hu Yaobang, then General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, inspected Jishou and affirmed this, saying that "with two jobs plus one long-distance trader, one need not worry about money and grain," and rural market trade and long-distance trafficking became even more active. Commercial and supply and marketing departments began to promote the experience of agricultural reform, with the word "contract" entering cities and entering shops, narrowing accounting units, and implementing contracted operations. Various joint operations integrating agriculture-industry-commerce, forestry-industry-commerce, and animal husbandry-industry-commerce with production, supply, and marketing in one chain appeared one after another, promoting the development of the urban and rural commodity economy. In 1987, the total retail sales of social commodities in the 10 counties of the prefecture reached 910.43 million yuan, growing 2.68 times in 10 years.
In September 1992, the CPC Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Committee and the Prefecture People's Government implemented the State Council's "Regulations on Converting the Operating Mechanisms of Enterprises Owned by the Whole People," deepened enterprise reform, converted enterprise operating mechanisms, separated government from enterprise, separated ownership from management rights, and made enterprises relatively independent economic entities that operate autonomously, bear their own profits and losses, and preserve and increase the value of state-owned assets. After reform, restructuring, and transformation, commercial and supply and marketing enterprises thoroughly broke the monopoly of state-owned and collective commerce and formed a circulation pattern with multiple economic components, multiple circulation channels, multiple operating methods, and few links. In 1995, the total retail sales of consumer goods in the 8 counties and cities of the prefecture increased to 2.23874 billion yuan, more than doubling compared with 1992, of which state-owned and collective commercial retail sales were 754.49 million yuan, accounting for only 33.5% of the total retail sales of consumer goods.
Since 1996, commercial and supply and marketing departments have continuously deepened reform and adhered to grasping the large and letting go the small. "Grasping the large" meant establishing Hunan Xiyang Food Industry Group Co., Ltd. and Hunan Wende Fu Oil and Fat Group Co., Ltd.; "letting go the small" meant accelerating the privatization process of commercial and trade enterprises. By the end of 1999, of the 285 independently accounted state-owned commercial enterprises in the prefecture, apart from a few enterprises undertaking monopoly tasks, 257 adopted different forms of reform and restructuring, with a restructuring rate of 90.2%, initially forming a new pattern of privatization in which enterprises operate assets and individuals operate commodities. In 2000, the total retail sales of consumer goods in the 8 counties and cities of the prefecture increased to 3.4 billion yuan, of which the proportion of state-owned and collective commercial retail sales fell to 14.7%.
In 2004, new circulation formats represented by supermarkets, convenience stores, and chain operations gradually grew, modern circulation methods developed faster, the pace of market system construction focusing on the reconstruction and renovation of market commercial outlets further accelerated, the scale of commercial outlets further expanded, facilities further improved, and their grade further raised, not only providing consumers with a good shopping environment but also enhancing the city's quality. Ten prefecture-owned state-owned commercial enterprises were included in the scope of property rights system reform and employee resettlement. That year the 8 counties and cities of the prefecture achieved total retail sales of consumer goods of 4.678 billion yuan, of which urban areas accounted for 2.989 billion yuan and counties and below accounted for 1.689 billion yuan. The prefecture's market was prosperous, purchasing and sales were brisk, prices were basically stable, and the people's living standards steadily improved. Commercial and trade enterprise reform and restructuring advanced despite difficulties, and the circulation sector's system continuously innovated.
In November 2004, the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Commerce Bureau was established, taking charge of the prefecture's investment promotion, domestic and foreign trade, and international economic cooperation, responsible for managing the grain and oil industry, alcohol production and sales, commercial industry management, and materials industry management, and coordinating salt, tobacco, and petroleum trade work; the entire commercial work developed further. In 2005, total retail sales of consumer goods were 5.34 billion yuan, an increase of 13.8% over the previous year, the fastest-growing year during the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period.
III. Specialized Circulation Channels
Grain and Oil Purchase and Sales: In 1953, the 10 counties of the prefecture, in accordance with unified state regulations, began unified purchase and sale of grain and edible oil, which played an important role at the time in guaranteeing supply and supporting construction. In the first 4 years of the "First Five-Year Plan," the prefecture purchased a total of 215.79 million jin of grain from farmers through unified purchase. The government implemented a policy of purchasing less and selling more, farmers' retained grain increased year by year, improving farmers' lives and raising their enthusiasm. In 1985, the Hunan Provincial People's Government decided to exempt poor counties in the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture from agricultural tax for 5 years and cancel unified and assigned purchase tasks for farmers, and grain and oil purchase and sales began to move toward the market. During the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period, the grain and oil circulation system reform was deepened, adhering to the separation of government and enterprise, separation of central and local responsibilities, separation of reserves and operations, and separation of old and new financial accounts, improving the grain price mechanism, and implementing the three policies of open purchase of farmers' surplus grain, sale of grain at reasonable prices, and closed operation of purchase funds, strengthening macro-control and guaranteeing effective social supply and demand. Over the 5 years, the average annual grain output of the 8 counties and cities of the prefecture was 836,540 tons, breaking through the 800,000-ton mark for the first time. Over the 5 years, a cumulative total of 318,560 tons of grain (paddy) was purchased and 297,140 tons sold, achieving a balance between grain production and demand within the prefecture. In 2004, the grain purchase and sales market was fully opened, macro-control was strengthened, grain operations were standardized, prefecture, county, and city grain reserves were established, regional grain security was safeguarded, and social stability within the prefecture was maintained.
Materials Operations: During the planned economy period, materials as means of production were allocated by planning departments and sold by materials departments, with property rights highly concentrated. Since reform and opening up, the means of production market gradually formed and improved. During the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period, the Prefecture Materials Group General Company fully utilized the locational advantage of being a materials distribution center for the Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Guizhou border region, grasping large factories with one hand and the market with the other, extensively carrying out joint operations and joint sales, and successively built three comprehensive markets for prefecture metal materials, electromechanical equipment, and light chemical building materials. On the one hand, it based itself locally to cultivate and develop the means of production market, hanging out signs, spreading out stalls, and seizing positions; on the other hand, it jumped out of Xiangxi and moved toward the whole country, adding 12 windows in Beijing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and other places, establishing 8 operating consortiums with manufacturers, with annual sales revenue reaching 172.6 million yuan, of which more than one-third was sold to the four-province border region. Later, materials industry management was strengthened, and an industry management office was established, responsible for formulating industry development plans and industry policies, guiding the adjustment of the industry's industrial structure, maintaining industry competition order, and promoting the development of the means of production market.
Petroleum Operations: China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Hunan Province Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Petroleum Branch had, in 2005, 1 national second-level oil depot (Qianzhou Oil Depot), with a total depot capacity of 17,100 cubic meters; there were 63 operating gas stations within the prefecture system. Since being transferred to Sinopec management in 1988, the refined oil allocation and transportation work of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Petroleum Branch gradually shifted from independent procurement to unified allocation by the higher-level company (all county-level oil depots were closed), and resource allocation and transportation had the characteristics of scattered source refineries, relatively long transport distances, and relatively long procurement times. In 2005, with the reform of the management system, first-level logistics management was implemented within the Hunan provincial system, and gas station resources within the prefecture system were fully allocated uniformly by the provincial company's logistics center, and operating work also gradually shifted from provincial and municipal two-level management to provincial company one-level management. According to the actual situation of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Petroleum Branch, in accordance with the policy of "equal emphasis on allocation and sales, restricting bulk sales and guaranteeing retail," continuously strengthened standardized management of gas stations, actively promoted refueling IC cards, provided quality services to society in all respects, and fueled the economic construction of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture. During the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period, a total of 561,119 tons of various refined oils were transferred in and 547,119 tons of various refined oils were sold. In 2005, the refined oil operating volume steadily expanded to 123,500 tons.
Tobacco Monopoly: In 1984, the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture formally established a tobacco monopoly bureau and implemented the tobacco monopoly. During the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period, the 8 counties and cities of the prefecture cumulatively planted 1.06 million mu of tobacco, purchased 81,592 tons of flue-cured tobacco and 4,645 tons of sun-cured tobacco; cumulatively sold 67,446 tons of flue-cured tobacco and 4,035 tons of sun-cured tobacco; cumulatively purchased 570,940 cases of cigarettes and sold 560,151 cases of cigarettes. During the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period, the Prefecture Tobacco Company adhered to taking economic efficiency as the center, turning losses into profits as the focus, and spiritual civilization construction as the driving force, highlighted standardized operations, strengthened internal management, continuously improved service quality, and steadily increased economic efficiency. In 2002, the 8 counties and cities of the prefecture achieved total commodity sales of 834 million yuan, realized profits and taxes of 81.17 million yuan, absorbed 15 million yuan of accumulated losses, and all 8 operating units in the prefecture achieved profits that year. In 2005, a good situation of sustained development appeared, with sales revenue of 1.111 billion yuan, up 24.44% year on year; gross profit of 152 million yuan, up 10.48% year on year. By further increasing production input and the strength of invigorating tobacco through science and technology, tobacco volume
increased markedly, and the grade structure was optimized. In 2005, tobacco-growing households in the prefecture's tobacco areas earned 325.15 million yuan from tobacco planting, realized 47.98 million yuan in agricultural specialty taxes and surcharges, and established relatively close business cooperation relationships with large tobacco factories such as Changsha and Changde. The tobacco sales market looked promising, basically achieving the "four satisfactions" of tobacco farmers, government, tobacco factories, and the company.
Pharmaceutical Commerce: Pharmaceutical enterprises are responsible for the procurement, storage, and supply of medicines and medical devices for the medical care, family planning, and disaster and epidemic response of the prefecture's 2.6 million people. With the continuous deepening of market economy system reform, pharmaceutical wholesale enterprises under the original planned economy system went bankrupt and reorganized one after another after 2000. In 2005, the prefecture had 8 pharmaceutical wholesale enterprises and 432 retail enterprises; 22 medical device wholesale enterprises, 101 retail enterprises, and 3 production enterprises.
Salt Monopoly: The Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Salt Administration Bureau and Salt Industry Company conscientiously implemented the "Measures for the Monopoly of Edible Salt" promulgated by the State Council, effectively strengthened edible salt monopoly work, did a good job in transportation and sales management, and ensured the supply of qualified iodized salt. Xiangxi Salt Industry always insisted on doing a good job in supplying iodized salt from a political height, and took improving the quality of iodized salt as an effective measure to achieve the goal of eliminating iodine deficiency hazards, strictly guarding the three passes of "purchase, allocation, and sale." In 2005, a total of 15,868 tons of edible salt were sold, the qualified rate of iodized salt was 100%, and the coverage rate of iodized salt in the prefecture's edible salt market reached 100%.
Vegetable Market: Since reform and opening up, vegetable production and sales in the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture have developed rapidly. In 2000, the 8 counties and cities of the prefecture built 12,200 mu of urban specialized vegetable bases and 15,200 mu of high-mountain off-season vegetable bases. That year the total volume of vegetables brought to market was 157,100 tons. Large quantities of fine vegetables, off-season vegetables, and specialty vegetables came to market for sale, enriching the vegetable baskets of urban people, filling the wallets of many vegetable farmers, and also meeting the living needs of people at different levels. In 2005, the prefecture's commercial vegetable planting area reached 375,000 mu, with total output of 465,500 tons and output value of 540 million yuan. A total of 179,000 mu of certified pollution-free production areas were declared and recognized after provincial review. Seven vegetable products obtained national pollution-free product certification, including Jishou Longhua brand ginger, Huayuan Biancheng line pepper, Luxi glass pepper, Guzhang Shentudi pepper and vermicelli, Baojing Pengwen pepper, and Longshan kohlrabi. Eighteen "safe vegetable" sales zones were established with signs. The vegetable quality supervision system and information system were basically established, the prefecture's vegetable sampling inspection qualified rate reached 96.3%, and no vegetable poisoning accidents occurred. Twelve out-of-province sales windows were opened, 45,000 mu of contract vegetables were developed, the vegetable circulation field continuously expanded, and the momentum of vegetable industrialization operation became increasingly strong.