Value Orientation of Economic Activities in Anhui and Shanxi Merchants during the Ming and Qing Dynasties

The merchants in ancient Anhui and Shanxi played an important role in the development of economy in ancient China.We probe into the value orientation in the economic activities of these two groups of merchants in the Ming and Qing Dynasties by the scrutiny of all literature available and a detailed analysis to traditional cultures.It is found that they had undergone a similar way of development with no difference in group structures.However,they were different in business patterns and value orientations.The merchants from Anhui stuck to a scholarly way of business running while those from Shanxi stressed on physical power.