山西票号:中国最早专门从事异地汇兑的民间金融机构

唐代的“飞钱”、宋代的“便换”,都是中国早期的异地汇兑现象,但它们不是商品经济发展的产物,且均由政府经营,所以存在的时间都不长;清初的“会票”,流通范围也非常有限。山西票号是我国最早产生的专门从事异地汇兑的民间金融组织,它不仅是商品经济发展的产物,而且突破了地域的局限,经营范围遍及全国各地乃至海外。受传统文化、地域文化的影响,在其近百年的发展中,形成了自己的特色。从机构本身来说,首先,它开创了异地汇兑的先河,使我国的货币清算制度发生了深刻的变化,即从运送现银为主的结算方式逐渐过渡到以汇兑为主的结算方式。其次,它创立了人身顶股制和联号制,其中,联号制是山西票号存在的基础,是其最重要的特色,而人身顶股制合理调节劳资关系,也是我国利益分配制度上的一大进步。第三,它将汇兑与存放款相结合,形成了存汇结合和放汇结合的特有形式,有利于资金的高效运用。从机构的外部来说,山西票号是旧式金融机构中与清政府关系最为密切的民间金融组织。由于清末帝国主义银行、新式银行、钱庄等金融机构夺走了山西票号的大半业务及其票号本身存在的封建性、保守性等缺点,因而在辛亥革命以后,山西票号走上了衰亡之路。

Exchange Bank of Shanxi: the Earliest Folk Financial Organization That Specially Delt with the Remittance between Different Areas

Flying money" of Tang dynasty and "convenient exchang" of Song dynasty were exchange events between different areas in early stage of China. But they weren' t the results of commodity economy. Moreover, they were managed by Chinese government. Therefore, it wasn't long before they didn't exist; "The draft" of early Qing dynasty was confined to a small scope; Exchange bank of Shanxi was the earliest folk financial organization that specially delt with the remittance between different areas. It not only was the outcome of commodity economy , but also broke through the limit of district. Its activities could found all over the country even overseas. During the development of about one hundred, in the influence of traditional culture and regionalism, exchange bank gradually formed its own characteristics. To the inside of exchange bank,firstly,it initiated the remittance between different areas,which made money clearing system of China change.That is.it was transitted from transporting money to remittance. Secondly, exchange bank of Shanxi carried out the system of general bank and branch bank, the system of personal labor as capital stock. The former was the base and the most important characteristic of exchange of Shanxi; The latter reasonably mediate the labor-capital relations. The system was a great progress. Thirdly, it combined remittance with deposit and loan so as to form combination of remittance and deposit or combination of remittance and loan. The forms were benefitful to unilize money effectively. To outside of exchange bank of Shanxi, there were the closest relations between exchange bank of Shanxi and Qing government among old financial organizations. Because of imperial bank, new bank and private bank and so on, taking away from most professional work and exchanging bank of Shanxi had many defects such as feudalism, conservatism etc. Exchange bank of Shanxi declined after XinHai revolution.