By the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, commerce further developed, and each state established its own commercial system, forming commercial networks between nations. This period saw the rise of famous big merchants, or big bosses. For instance, Xian Gao, who famously sent several oxen to retreat the Qin army, thus saving Zheng and leaving behind the idiom “Xian Gao’s Reward”; Bai Gui, who first served as an official in Wei, then became a merchant, proposing the theory of “take what others abandon, give what others take,” and was hailed by “Records of the Grand Historian” as the “ancestor of those who speak of managing wealth.” The text describes him as “able to endure simple meals, suppress desires, wear modest clothes, share joys and sorrows with his servants, and move with the times like a fierce beast or swift bird,” indicating that this boss could share hardships with his employees, leading them to work diligently. Bai Gui indeed had a knack for management and employing people. There was also Fan Li, who served in Yue, achieved fame, then left with his family and beauties (like Xi Shi) on a boat, later becoming immensely wealthy and calling himself “Duke Tao Zhu”; and Lü Buwei, who saw the potential in Prince Yiren, a hostage from Qin in Zhao, and through various means helped him become the King of Qin, while also becoming the Prime Minister of Qin himself. Even Confucius’s favorite disciple, Zi Gong, was said to be a very successful merchant.
During the Qin dynasty, the standardization of weights, measures, and currency facilitated commerce. The Han dynasty opened the Silk Road, encouraged technological development, and under Emperor Wu, expanded maritime trade, leading to flourishing trade between China and foreign lands. By the Sui and Tang dynasties, many Chinese cities had become world-class commercial hubs, with Chang’an, the capital during the Tang dynasty, being a gathering place for merchants from Persia, the Western Regions, and beyond, bringing various goods and making the city an economic and cultural center of the world.
