On Shanxi merchants' charity activities in Ming and Qing Dynasty from local historic records

During the period of Ming and Qing Dynasties,Shanxi merchants actively support and donate money for charity cause in the following four aspects such as supporting the poor,supporting old people,supporting the marriage and funeral,and donating for the public.These charity activities of Shanxi merchants were with characteristics of the Confucian,protected the social stability of Shanxi Province,shaped the local social mood,intensified the connection of clansmen,promoted the forming of the Shanxi society of family-clansman structure and were unhelpful to the development of Shanxi commodity economy in Ming and Qing Dynasty.