Shanxi businessmen are the earliest businessmen in Chinese history. Their emergence can be dated back to four or five hundred years ago. In their heyday during the Ming and Qing Dynasty , Shanxi businessmen , as a business bloc was on the top of the ten business blocs in China. Pursuing commercial integrity as their cardinal principal, having the strong backing of abundant capital, and with far-sighted management, they explored a variety of business scopes and markets. Their business firms covered salt, iron, cotton, cloth, furs, silk, tea, and financial establishments, etc, spreading all over the country and even reaching as far as Europe, Japan, South-east Asia and Arabian Countries. They had been holding a dominant position in the business world of China for 500 years.
As a full coverage of the history and commercial culture of Shanxi businessmen, this 8-part TV series is a representative work of Chinese documentaries. Its vivid story-telling, exquisite frames and simple and pure background music will lead you to feel and understand the traditional oriental businessmen as well as the profound Confucian culture.
8 DVDs (Mandarin, With Simplified Chinese Subtitles) / 2003 / 360 minutes