| Abstract | Analyzes the unique philanthropic activities of guilds formed by people with the same regional origins, and examines the mechanism of native-place ties in modern China. In late imperial times, urban migration patterns produced organizations of urban dwellers founded on the basis of common geographical origins. These guilds kept the remains of people from the same place and managed the process of "sending coffins back to their native places" (yun guan). In late-Qing Shanghai, many factors of modernization led to the dilution of native-place feelings, while new sophisticated regional associations were founded. The economic and political functions of such guilds were gradually assumed by modern organizations such as chambers of commerce. However, Ningbo guilds, owing to the progress of steamships and to their strong cohesiveness, instead developed specific philanthropic activities, mainly coffin sending. For Ningbo merchants, native-place ties served as a basis for the recruitment of labor. Siming Gongsuo, a guild, was the main channel through which Ningbo people entered Shanghai, and through which their remains were sent back after their death. The native-place network gave them the assurance of daily life before and after their death. This helped to sustain native-place consciousness, develop links between Ningbo merchants and their places of origin, and enable Ningbo merchants to control Shanghai's financial affairs. It can be said that this network was characteristic of Chinese merchant culture. |
