중국 淸代의 고리대금업과 전당포 - 소설 紅樓夢을 중심으로 - (The Usury and Pawnshop of Qing(淸) China: Focused on the Description of Hong - lou - meng (『紅樓夢』))

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국중국학회
· 수록지 정보 : 중국학보 / 76호 / 189 ~ 207페이지
· 저자명 : 나선희

초록

In the case of the West, the basic perception of usury and pawnbroking was negative. With the advent of the Protestant Reformation, however, there appeared great change in such a view. This aspect, in particular, is well explained in the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism(Die protestantische ethik), a work written by Max Weber. The mercantile spirit of the West as he grasped it was that of “self-restrained Protestants” based on Calvinism and founded on a positive perception of commerce, all of which constituted a kind of conceptual “secularization” process.
In contrast, the traditional view in China moved within the larger framework of scholar-gentry, farmers, artisans, and merchants (士農工商). The concept synthesizing it can be said to be “engaging in trade and being fond of Confucian learning” (賈而好儒). This was a viewpoint that restricted the development of commerce in the nation under the Qing Dynasty (淸代). Nevertheless, commercial development through usury and pawnbroking during this dynasty was considerable and further spurred by the establishment of a system called the accumulation of interests by lending capital to merchants (發商生息). Consequently, there arose diverse cases where members of the gentry (紳士) turned into merchants and vice versa. This inevitably entailed change in ideas.
The novel The Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓夢) includes passages that vividly depict contemporary reality such as descriptions of usury and pawnbroking based on the accumulation of interests by lending capital to merchants implemented by the Qing government. The image of Chinese society in this period that emerges is one where commerce and usury through pawnshops were far more developed than may be expected.
In addition, the pawnshops in the novel are classified into three according to the investors: imperial pawnshops (皇當), governmental pawnshops (官當), and civilian pawnshops (民當). As an aftereffect of the dramatic increase in pawnshops, various incidents involving corruption occurred as well. As for historical facts, there was the case of Hesen (和珅), in the novel itself, the Jia (賈) clan’s property is confiscated based on informal documents regarding interests on usury.
Thus examined through the Dream of the Red Chamber, Qing Chinese society underwent change in the perception of commerce including usury. Regarding this, Korean scholars, Park Won-ho(朴元熇) and Cho Young-hun(曺永憲) hold opposing views, the latter of which seems to approximate reality more closely. In other words, a society traditionally founded on “engaging in trade and being fond of Confucian learning” seems to have changed gradually into one where, by the Qing Dynasty, the distinction between Confucian learning and trade was increasingly disappearing. That is, there was a conceptual “secularization” process where the concepts of Confucian learning and trade were becoming closer.
As in the West, the perception of commerce including usury and pawnbroking in China was negative in earlier ages but became far more positive as society advanced closer to the modern and contemporary eras.

영어초록

In the case of the West, the basic perception of usury and pawnbroking was negative. With the advent of the Protestant Reformation, however, there appeared great change in such a view. This aspect, in particular, is well explained in the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism(Die protestantische ethik), a work written by Max Weber. The mercantile spirit of the West as he grasped it was that of “self-restrained Protestants” based on Calvinism and founded on a positive perception of commerce, all of which constituted a kind of conceptual “secularization” process.
In contrast, the traditional view in China moved within the larger framework of scholar-gentry, farmers, artisans, and merchants (士農工商). The concept synthesizing it can be said to be “engaging in trade and being fond of Confucian learning” (賈而好儒). This was a viewpoint that restricted the development of commerce in the nation under the Qing Dynasty (淸代). Nevertheless, commercial development through usury and pawnbroking during this dynasty was considerable and further spurred by the establishment of a system called the accumulation of interests by lending capital to merchants (發商生息). Consequently, there arose diverse cases where members of the gentry (紳士) turned into merchants and vice versa. This inevitably entailed change in ideas.
The novel The Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓夢) includes passages that vividly depict contemporary reality such as descriptions of usury and pawnbroking based on the accumulation of interests by lending capital to merchants implemented by the Qing government. The image of Chinese society in this period that emerges is one where commerce and usury through pawnshops were far more developed than may be expected.
In addition, the pawnshops in the novel are classified into three according to the investors: imperial pawnshops (皇當), governmental pawnshops (官當), and civilian pawnshops (民當). As an aftereffect of the dramatic increase in pawnshops, various incidents involving corruption occurred as well. As for historical facts, there was the case of Hesen (和珅), in the novel itself, the Jia (賈) clan’s property is confiscated based on informal documents regarding interests on usury.
Thus examined through the Dream of the Red Chamber, Qing Chinese society underwent change in the perception of commerce including usury. Regarding this, Korean scholars, Park Won-ho(朴元熇) and Cho Young-hun(曺永憲) hold opposing views, the latter of which seems to approximate reality more closely. In other words, a society traditionally founded on “engaging in trade and being fond of Confucian learning” seems to have changed gradually into one where, by the Qing Dynasty, the distinction between Confucian learning and trade was increasingly disappearing. That is, there was a conceptual “secularization” process where the concepts of Confucian learning and trade were becoming closer.
As in the West, the perception of commerce including usury and pawnbroking in China was negative in earlier ages but became far more positive as society advanced closer to the modern and contemporary eras.

참고자료

· 없음