Cantonese merchants (

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

Jyutping Jyutping is a romanisation system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK), an academic group, in 1993. Its formal name is the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme. The LSHK advocates fo ...

: Jyut6 soeng1;

Traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays ...

: 粵商) refers to merchants of Cantonese origin, though sometimes it is used to include

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

and Teochew merchants who originated from the

Southern Chinese South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not ...

province of

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, where Cantonese people have been the dominant demographic. For most of the second millennium AD, some important ports of successive

Chinese dynasties Dynasties in Chinese history, or Chinese dynasties, were hereditary monarchical regimes that ruled over China during much of its history. From the legendary inauguration of dynastic rule by Yu the Great circa 2070 BC to the abdication of t ...

have been situated in Guangdong, resulting in the formation of a distinct business culture which many cultural studies and business scholars have sought to examine.

Characteristics

Located in the southern fringe of China, far away from center of power, adjacent to

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...

, Cantonese merchants were the first to open up the market to

Western European Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

commerce and to accept economic and cultural exchange with

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

. As a result, a unique business culture emerged. According to scholars, the main characteristics of Cantonese merchants include:彭澎, & 张菊梅. (2007). 新粤商的特征变化及其更换模式研究. 珠江经济, (11), 70-74. *Strong market sensitivity: Cantonese merchants are quick to discover new business opportunities. They are decisive and bold while others are hesitant. This is considered one of the reasons why Cantonese businessmen, among

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctiv ...

business people, are usually among the first to adopt advanced technology in doing their businesses. *Acceptance and inclusiveness: Cantonese merchants are open to a variety of capable people and new techniques. It has been pointed out that they are generally able to learn with open minds and are conducive to criticism and young talents. Scholars have also suggested that this is why many successful Cantonese merchants are of lower-class origins. *Pragmatism and robustness: Cantonese merchants do not make rash decisions. They do things step-by-step, believing that "only money actually in one's hand can be considered 'earned'". They avoid take risk unless they have thoroughly studied it. Their pragmatism prevents them from using garish means to do promotion. For instance, when Zhengzhou Asia tried to open department stores near

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

, they attempted to use drum bands to welcome their customers every morning, but Cantonese businessmen did not see the meaning of it and none of them adopt the practice. *Belief in hard work: Most Cantonese business started from small business - such as hawkers - and tend to maintain a belief in hard work even when they have become big and successful. Among Cantonese merchants, it is quite common to see the boss running the stores personally while the staff rest, or the boss cleaning the stores by him/herself.

References

{{Guangdong topics

Characteristics

See also

References