Splendid Business Journey: the Ups and Downs of Confucian Businessmen in the Northern Song Dynasty

During the Tiansheng period of the Northern Song Dynasty, in the early days of Renzong's pro-government, the commodity economy in the south recovered. Hangzhou (Qiantang), as the southeast water transport hub, had prosperous markets and active trade in silk, tea, and porcelain. However, problems such as collusion between government and businessmen to monopolize the supply of goods, and excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes at water transport checkpoints were prominent, and private merchants were struggling.