Exemplary Everymen: Confucian Commoners in Early Medieval China

University of Pennsylvania's Center for East Asian Studies presents a talk by Keith Knapp on the beginnings of a Confucian merchant ethic in fifth-century southern China.

Keith Knapp, Citadel

This presentation explores why two fifth-century farmer-merchants, Guo Shidao and his son Guo Yuanping, received disproportionately long biographies in Shen Yue’s (441-513) History of the Song’s “Biographies of the Filial and Righteous.” They hailed from Guiji (Shaoxing) in modern-day Zhejiang province, which in the fifth century, due to its proximity to the capital and its superior communications, was experiencing something akin to a commercial revolution – farmers depended upon cash crops; artisans created manufactured goods that were exported; much of the government’s revenue came from commercial taxes; people calculated the worth of goods and services in cash. He argues that the Guos were put forth as ideal commoners in a commercialized world – they refuse to profit at the expense of others, charge less than the going rate for their goods and services, and give away what they could sell at market. Through their actions we can see the beginnings of a Confucian merchant ethic. Perhaps, most importantly, unlike many other wealthy commoners of the period, the Guos are unwilling to translate their wealth into political office; i.e., they know their place in society. The tales of these two men furnish us with a vivid tableau of the life of enterprising commoners in fifth-century southern China.

Humanities Colloquium