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Pingyao Historic City and Qiao Family Courtyard
“Goods Connecting the World” (货通天下)
and “Currency Connecting the World” (汇通
天下) were finally realized [3, 17] .
Figure 20. Qiao Family Six Rules. Source: Photo by
the author, 2017
Qiao Zhiyong applied Confucian ethics
to his business operations, which was to
15 “人弃我取，薄利广销，维护信誉，不弄虚伪。”
16 “诚信为本、以德经商。”
17 “唯无私才可大公，唯大公才可大器。”
AccScience Publishing
Zhang
“Take what others abandon, sell with small
profits, maintain credibility, and do not play
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hypocrisy.” He treated people with respect,
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and paid attention to honesty and morality.
He often cautioned his offspring that when
conducting business, “trustworthiness” ( 信
xin) should be the priority, followed by
“righteousness” (义 yi), and “profit” (利 li)
was only the third concern. This principle was
an important reason for his success. Qiao
Zhiyong also advised his descendants: “Only
unselfishness can be just and fair, and only
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justice and fairness can be a great weapon.”
Qiao Zhiyong had married six wives.
Because Qiao Family had a rule of not
allowing concubines, they were all continued
wives after the previous one died. His wives
were from the Ma family (马氏), Gao family
(高氏), Yang family (杨氏), Zhou family (周
氏), Yang family (杨氏), and Yang family (杨
氏). The six wives gave birth to six sons and
three daughters, who all married to noble
families. Marriage served as a matchmaking
for Qiao family descendants to inherit the
family enterprise to continue their bloodline.
It was also considered as a resource, a tie of a
larger scale and at a deeper level for business
alliance. For example, a few women from the
Qiao Family married to Taigu Cao Family (曹
家), and vice versa; several women from the
Qiao Family married to Yuci Chang Family
(常家), and vice versa. As a result, the great
merchants in Jinzhong almost all became
relatives of the Qiao Family. Consequently,
they formed a powerful network of
relationships and social force. Qiao Zhiyong
also made friends with government officials
to seek protection, and established alliances
with other prominent merchants. Moreover,
he was kind to the villagers and servants, did
charity work by providing relief to the poor.
In the three years of Guangxu (光绪) when a
severe drought happened, he opened the
family granary to help the victims [3, 17] .
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