The occupations of idlers and hustlers have existed since ancient times, but they flourished in the Song Dynasty. What is the reason?

The 2020 opening drama "Qing Ping Le" ended amidst controversy. This TV series based on the life of Song Renzong was praised by many film critics as "high-brow" and commendable for courage; of course, there are also People bluntly said that the all-encompassing interpretation makes people miss the key points. However, no matter what, the familiar characters in history textbooks can become vivid through the portrayal on the screen, which is the highlight of this TV series that catches people's attention, and also indicates the "general trend" of this year's film and television drama market, the Empress of the Qing Palace They finally entered the cold palace, and our Fengya Song Dynasty is here!

Although the Song Dynasty was given the title of "Weak Song" because it did not like to fight, it does not prove that the old Zhao family was incompetent. You must know that the politics, economy, culture, and technology of the Song Dynasty are ancient Chinese history. highlight moment. The Song Dynasty was weak but not weak. At least it was smarter than previous dynasties in terms of its vision of commercial development and strategic implementation. They valued agricultural development, but did not inhibit commercial development. They also launched a series of policies to encourage industrial and commercial development. . Driven by this atmosphere, everyone, from the emperor and ministers to the common people, developed the economy. Even Bao Zheng, who was born and raised, was a good master of financial management, so he also opened up many new businesses. The business field provides more jobs and opportunities.

In today’s streets and alleys, if you walk ten steps you can see a brokerage store engaged in selling houses. Even if you go to a bank to manage your finances, there are also specialized services - financial brokers. The middleman and brokerage economy have long been integrated into our lives. Inseparable, but this situation actually existed as early as the Song Dynasty.

In a hotel in Bianjing, a young man had just ordered a breakfast set that cost more than ten cents and was about to eat. A smart-looking young man came to him and asked with a smile: "Xiao Lang?" Jun, would you like to have a copy of the newly released Bianjing tabloid? You can buy two newspapers with one copper plate? This scene is not uncommon on the streets of the Song Dynasty. People who help buy things are called "idlers", and they are actually Unqualified "small brokers" do not specialize in a certain field, but do whatever they can. The profession of idlers has existed since ancient times. This group was recorded in the "Book of Dadaili" of the Han Dynasty. Most of them immigrated from other places and were not tolerated by society, so they struggled to survive in the cracks. In the Song Dynasty, due to the development of the science and technology industry and the strong demand, many handicraft industries began to use simple "machines" for production. As a result, some manpower was idle, and they became what we call "idle hands." Many people think that this is not a profession, but Li Bai believes that this is actually a profession. They are like small labor brokers with no fixed fixed positions. They connect the people of the Song Dynasty with all walks of life. The reason why they flourished in the Song Dynasty is, to put it bluntly, product of a developed economy.

There are informal small brokers and formal small brokers. The book "Old Martial Arts", which records the customs and customs of Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, records about 180 kinds of brokerage industries, covering almost all the people of Lin'an. All areas of life.

The broker here is a similar profession to the dental shop that originated before the Han and Tang Dynasties and was popular in the Song Dynasty, but it is more trivial than it. To put it bluntly, Yahang and Yaji (Yaren) are professional brokers rooted in a certain industry. Because they can control the market conditions of an industry, starting from the Song Dynasty, such talents were required by the government to hold certificates to work, and here we are The small brokers mentioned are much more amateurish than them. It can only be said that they are more advanced than the vagrants or are trying to drive people away.