A typical village in Huizhou area

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The term “Hui entrepreneurs” generally refers to the groups of merchants from the ancient Huizhou area which, today, is located around the Yellow Mountain area of Anhui Province. The barren fields among the mountains forced the people to make a living by leaving their hometowns and doing business across the nation.

The Hui entrepreneurs first appeared in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) and their influence peaked in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912). As one of the largest and most influential business groups in Chinese history, the Hui merchants were distinct from other merchants groups for upholding Confucian doctrines.

Hui merchants were patriots. The Ming government called on the merchants to transport food for the border troops who defended against the Mongol armies. Many Hui merchants abandoned their local businesses and travelled thousands of miles to transport supplies for the national army. In addition to this, according to the Chronicles of She County, when the Hong Lake, Huai River and the Yellow River overflowed their banks, Hui merchant Bao Shufang (c.1763-1807) donated 6,000 tons of wheat and rice, saving hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Hui people were examplars of credibility and integrity in both daily life and business, establishing a business ethic of selling genuine goods at fair prices, being equally honest with the aged and young customers as well as respecting the interests of customers. Merchant Hu Rongming successfully operated a business for over half a century by valuing his reputation. When he retired, other merchants paid a high price for his trademark. He refused, saying: “If you are really honest merchants, why do you need my trademark?”

Following the teachings of Confucian master Zhu Xi, Hui people behaved in accordance with the rules of propriety and righteousness. In the Huizhou area, part of the clan field was meant to produce food for those in the clan who were too poor to support themselves. Those fields were purchased with donations from members of the clan.

Another merchant, Liu Huai, saved a large quantity of grain when doing business outside his hometown. Later, a famine occurred. People all believed that Liu would make a great fortune. However, Liu believed that it would be better to help the masses overcome the famine and revive. He his hoarded grain at a discounted price. He also provided free porridge for the poor afflicted by the famine.

Many Hui merchants also valued education. Most Hui merchants behaved in Confucian manners. Some of them converted to Confucianism after retirement. After enriching their families, some merchants ceased to do business and began to study Confucian wisdom. Those who were well educated before they engaged in business would continue reading books and writing articles. Many Hui merchants donated money for the establishment of schools for students from poor families.

Devotion to work was also a prominent feature for Hui merchants. Most of the merchants did business outside their hometowns. Those merchants usually went back home to visit family members. Those who worked far away from their hometowns would have to wait three or four years to reunite with their parents, wives and children.

Making a fortune was not the only goal for Hui merchants. The ideal of harmony was a common theme for cultural works in Huizhou. Harmony was often expressed through the Hui style carvings, including woodcarvings, brick-carvings, stone-carvings and bamboo-carvings. For example, the images of he ye (lotus leaf) and pang xie (crab) were usually carved on a same work, which share the same pronunciation with he xie, the Chinese characters for harmony.