Modern Chinese Foreign Economic and Trade History in Classics
【Watching Home】
In the library of the University of International Business and Economics, there is a "Customs Special Collection Library". Those familiar with it call it the "Old Customs Library". It is a professional library that collects foreign trade books and provides references for customs management.
In the modern sense, China’s earliest foreign trade goods import and export statistics, modern postal networks, epidemiological reports on coastal ports, records of participation in the World Expo, various customs management regulations... These historical books covered by the years are quietly lying. There, the panorama records the development and evolution of modern China's foreign trade over the past 160 years.
In recent years, the University of International Business and Economics has given full play to the role of these ancient customs books in cultivating new knowledge, educating people, and cultural mutual learning, so that the ancient books can be brought to life, moved, and used. Opening up a new pattern and working hard to open up a new era of opening up to the outside world to provide strong intellectual support and talent guarantee.
One Inheritance: The History of Foreign Trade in One Hundred Years of Classics
The University of International Business and Economics is a university bathed in the sunshine of New China.
At the beginning of the founding of New China, in order to solve the problem of the shortage of foreign economic management talents in foreign trade, customs, etc., the first school in New China to train foreign trade professionals-Beijing Foreign Trade College (the predecessor of the University of International Business and Economics) was established in Beijing. .
In the 1950s, with the approval of the Central Ministry of Foreign Trade, Beijing Foreign Trade College took over all the collections of the old China Customs Library and included them as part of the school library.
The old customs library originated in Beijing, integrated in Shanghai, and returned to Beijing. It is a customs library with a history of more than 160 years.
This library takes internal publications such as customs notices as the core, and is supplemented by Chinese trade, industry, agriculture, finance, economics and other related books and materials, forming an information support system, and providing effective experience integration, knowledge management and Governance reference.
The old customs library books are divided into three parts: one is Chinese books and periodicals, including books and newspapers related to China’s foreign economic and trade, and a large number of Qing Dynasty chronicles, etc.; the other is foreign books and periodicals, due to the foreign-related nature of customs business, this book The library also has a large collection of foreign books and economic research journals from all over the world, especially foreign books and journals related to the Chinese economy. The third is the "Customs Book" of the General Taxation Department of Customs, which is continued by the Bookkeeping Department and the Statistics Section. Edited "Customs Book" series of publications.
These customs ancient books and historical archives record the state governance methods of modern China's foreign trade and the process of China's integration into the world. They have very precious documentary value, historical value and cultural value.
Second patriotism: the chapters of the years return to the China Business University to report the country
The classics are silent, but they tell of the pain and struggle, search and forge ahead of modern Chinese.
Reading ancient customs books can not only read the rise and fall and ups and downs of China’s customs sovereignty over the past century, but also read the struggle of the Chinese Communist Party to lead the people to regain customs sovereignty, and relive the glorious years of the Chinese people from standing up, getting rich, and getting stronger. I have touched the history of forging ahead with the continuous struggle of generations of adults in the trade, taking the responsibility of becoming a strong country in trade.
In modern times, Western imperialist powers dumped opium on old China, which not only severely poisoned the health of the working people, but also brought huge disasters to the Chinese society and economy.
Open the "Shanghai Imported Trade Goods Data" form from 1854 to 1855, and you can see that the total value of imported goods this year was 12.62 million taels of silver, while the value of opium reached 9.11 million taels. Opium imports actually reached ten tenths of the imported goods. seven!
The opium trade caused a large outflow of Chinese silver, and the Qing government nearly collapsed.
Looking through the "Roster of Customs Staff", it can be found that among the high-level positions in charge of China's customs in the early days, there was no Chinese, and almost all important and key positions were occupied by Western powers.
The customs books of the old customs library record the history of China's loss of autonomy in customs duties and the right to custody of customs revenue and expenditures after the Opium War.
It can be found from these historical books that the customs did not have a new direction of development until the founding of the Communist Party of China in 1921.
Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, customs employees launched a revolutionary struggle, established the Soviet area tax customs, carried out independent tariff policies, and established a centralized and unified vertical management system... After an arduous struggle, customs sovereignty returned to the hands of the Chinese people.
From a country that used to be poor and weak, and customs sovereignty lost, to today the world’s second largest economy and a country whose comprehensive national strength has attracted the world’s attention, the vicissitudes of life reflected in ancient customs books are thought-provoking and give people a deeper understanding of the Communist Party of China. It is the original mission of man to seek happiness for the Chinese people and for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
It is difficult to find light without diving into the darkness.
These ancient customs books describe the pain, humiliation and hesitation of modern China in the main body of the book, and the reading record card on the back cover of the last page of these books is filled with the thoughts, pursuits and pursuits of generations of business masters in seeking to rejuvenate the country through trade. Forge ahead.
The borrowed card records that on September 19, 1960, Yuan Xianneng of Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade (predecessor of University of International Business and Economics) borrowed "Shanghai Price Monthly" (1936), and Wu Yuqian borrowed "The Origin, Development and Activities of Chinese Customs" Document Compilation (1937), on September 18, 1984, Cai Weizhou also borrowed this book from the maritime relations... These business professionals who later became economists, international trade experts, and customs historians drew history from ancient customs books Success and failure experience, looking at the past and present, focusing on the history of the rise and fall of foreign trade development, and promote the University of International Business and Economics to become the frontier of theoretical research on my country's opening to the outside world.
In the 1990s, when my country's WTO accession negotiations were in a difficult time, it was a large number of rising stars of the University of International Business and Economics. They participated in the negotiations with their lifelong ingenuity and provided strong ideological and intellectual support for the WTO accession negotiations and promoted China's integration. world.
Sanmingzhi: The Cultural Mission of Passing the Fire
Fortunately, the national prosperous classics.
Documents and classics are an important carrier for the inheritance of human civilization.
The University of International Business and Economics attaches great importance to the protection of these ancient books. Starting from the first curator Jing Peiyuan, there have been eight curators successively, and the protection of the ancient books of the University of Trade and Economics has been relayed for 70 years.
At the beginning of 1954, Jing Peiyuan received the task of accepting the collection of the customs library, but he went to Shanghai alone to handle the acceptance matters without taking care of his newly-born daughter.
Jing Peiyuan believes that the modern library shoulders the "mission of educating the people with books" and therefore attaches great importance to the collection of ancient books.
Before liberation, he successively collected Ding's Library and Wangyun Caotang Li's collection for Shanghai Aurora University, participated in the preservation of documents and materials of Shanghai Tongzhi Museum, and preserved Chinese literature and classics, gave full play to the university's cultural heritage, and continued historical context, etc. To make important contributions.
In the first half of 1954, all the books in the old customs library arrived in Beijing, and Jing Peiyuan customized a high-grade wooden bookcase specifically to store these customs classics.
After the reform and opening up, the school set up a "Customs Document Library" in the library to protect these ancient books.
In the design of the new library library that won the Luban Award for China's Construction Project, the seventh curator Qiu Xiaohong specially built a new warehouse for this batch of customs ancient books.
In order to prevent insects, the bookcases in the warehouse are made of special steel-wood frame and camphor wood lining board structure, which fully meets the strict protection requirements of ancient books and cultural relics.
At the same time, the new "Customs Archives" is adjacent to the office of the library director. The director is both the head of a library and the "first guardian" of the customs library.
Customs ancient books are exquisitely installed and framed. Almost every book has a hard cover and back cover.
However, as time goes by, the pages of some ancient books will inevitably turn yellow and brittle. How to effectively continue the life of these ancient customs books?
The University of International Business and Economics has introduced a series of preventive protection measures.
For example, strengthen the physical environment management of the warehouse, strengthen the monitoring of the warehouse upstairs and downstairs, the surrounding heating and drainage pipes, prevent water leakage and other accidents, and further do the work of waterproofing, fireproofing, moisture-proofing and insect-proofing.
At the same time, professional restoration of some ancient books with a tendency to breakage will help them live longer; use digital technology to copy and display the ancient books so that the ancient books can appear in front of the world; and also photocopy and publish some rare and rare books so that they can appear on the desks of modern people. , Benefiting researchers and enthusiasts.
In addition, the University of International Business and Economics will also implement the Customs Ancient Books Return Plan for some ancient books that have been lost overseas to collect and sort out the customs ancient books that have been lost at home and abroad.
Qi Qizhi: Learning from the past and knowing the present in academic new knowledge
Currently, the multilateral trading system is facing huge challenges, and the global economic and trade pattern and economic order are being restructured at an accelerated pace.
How to further achieve a higher level of opening to the outside world, how to realize the transformation from a major trading country to a powerful trading country?
How to actively participate in the formulation of international trade rules, propose Chinese plans, contribute Chinese wisdom, strive for dominance, and win the right to speak?
In recent years, the University of International Business and Economics has deeply explored the contemporary value of customs ancient books and held four consecutive World Trade University ancient books protection forums, discovering the future from the past, and judging the success or failure, learning gains and losses, and knowing the success and failure from the ancient books of the University of Trade and Economics. Research in the open field provides high-quality advisory advice and intellectual support for the scientific decision-making of the party and the government.
Historical research is the foundation of all social sciences.
Ancient customs books not only belong to the past, but also to the future.
The "Customs Medical News" records epidemiological reports of epidemics in modern coastal ports, and provides important historical references for the current epidemic prevention and control; in the "Customs Reports of Various Ports in the Last Ten Years", the average water level map of the Hankou section of the Yangtze River records important hydrological data. Observe the basic data of the hydrological changes in the Yangtze River Basin over the years; "The General Catalogue of Trade and Foreign Trade" covers important statistical reports on modern China's foreign trade... These historical codes contained in ancient books need to be further explained and unearthed by today's people.
(Author: Zhu Xiangfeng and Zhang Xiaofeng, Unit: Beijing Institute of Opening to the Outside World University of International Business and Economics)