The so-called "chicken feathers for sugar" story in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province?

The most famous chicken feather for sugar should be Yiwu, Zhejiang. It can be said that the formation history of Yiwu market is the history of changing chicken feathers into sugar, which is slowly formed! Yiwu's original chicken feathers for sugar started from 23 Li Town.

The "chicken feathers for sugar" in the 23rd century and its historical and cultural development are not smooth sailing. For a time, chicken feathers for sugar became the target of public criticism, saying that chicken feathers for sugar were "abandoning agriculture for business", "profiteering" and "the tail of capitalism", which was contrary to the national ban and was "unpredictable"! At that time, an "anti-speculation office" was set up in 23rd Lane, and all the people who peddled and set up stalls in 23rd Lane were driven away. It is forbidden to take sugar out in exchange for chicken feathers. If people catch sugar, they will be punished. However, even during the Cultural Revolution, when the tail of capitalism was cut off and speculation was severely cracked down, the burden of sugar was still in Sheng Xing. At that time, there were more than 5,000 people in the town, and the business scope not only involved Jiangxi, Fujian and other neighboring provinces in Zhejiang, but also extended to all parts of the country. With the market-oriented reform and the active commodity economy in China, Ersanli Town has entered a new stage of developing specialized markets and specializing in small commodities on the basis of selling chicken feathers for sugar. In the mid-1970s, there were hundreds of stalls selling small commodities in Ersanli Town, and the first generation of small commodities market in China was formed in the late 1970s. However, due to policy restrictions, the real growth of the 23-mile chicken feather sugar exchange team is still difficult. Until1March 24th, 979, Yang Shouchun, then secretary of Yiwu County Committee of the Communist Party of China, published the article "The rattle of chicken feather sugar exchange rang again" in the second edition of Zhejiang Daily, which injected vitality into the development of commodity economy in 23 Li Town and even the whole Yiwu. This article is the first press release in China to report the significance of "chicken feathers for sugar" in Yiwu, and it is known as "the first cry of Yiwu small commodity market" and the first article "plead for the people". The article fully affirmed that "chicken feathers for sugar" is a supplement to the socialist economy, with few advantages and disadvantages. It not only promotes the development of Yiwu brown sugar industry, but also returns the "red hair" needed for export and the "waste chicken feathers" needed for farmland as fertilizer, increasing grain production, increasing agricultural benefits, invigorating circulation and benefiting the country and the people. The publication of the article was highly praised by the economic, academic and press circles. Later 1980 allowed chicken feathers to be exchanged for sugar, and the Commercial Bureau also issued a temporary license for chicken feathers to be exchanged for sugar. As a result, as soon as the male laborers in 23 Li Town are free, they will be called "they nest", and the whole village can be described as "ten rooms and nine empty rooms", which is unprecedented. In fact, the benefits of "chicken feathers for sugar" are not far off. For example, the Ersanli Feather Factory run by Ersanli Town (commune) came into being at this stage. At that time, the employment problem of thousands of people in rural areas was solved, and foreign exchange was exchanged, which increased the government's fiscal revenue and farmers' income, which was beneficial to the country and the people. It was not until after 1982 that the market gradually concentrated on the folk exhibitions in Yiwu county, and finally became a household name in China today, and the sugar man in 23 Li was the "initiator" of Yiwu small commodity world.

People who exchange chicken feathers for sugar are also called sugar knocks. According to the way of business activities, the sugar gang has carried out a strict division of labor, which is divided into two categories: "sitting in the workshop" and "taking the lead". There are four organizations in the workshop: sugar workshop, stationmaster, expert and old soil. The task of "sugar shop" is to lend fried sugar granules, sugar cakes and ginger sugar to sugar customers in the form of cash or goods, and also to buy goods collected by sugar customers in the form of commission; "Station Head" is a small inn where sugar gangs live and operate sugar consignment business; "experts" specialize in purchasing all kinds of small department stores for sugar gangs to operate; The "old land" specializes in collecting goods exchanged by sugar gangs. And "Shoutou" is a person who picks sugar to catch up with business. There are several * * * things in "Shoutou", which are called "Laotutou". These people are held by people who are good at beating sugar merchants, and they are "elite figures" selected from sugar gangs through public discussion. Their task is to fight alone all the way and command the sugar bear; There is also a "gathering bear" under the old road, which is the leader of the sugar bears in each village. The ability to elect and lead the sugar bear in the village is slightly inferior to that of the "bear head"; There is also an "Nianbo" under the "Shoujian", whose position is appointed by the "Shoujian", whose task is to assist the "Shoujian" work, and at the same time "Nianbo" has to take care of five to seven pairs of "Shoutou"; Finally, the sugar bear, also known as "bear head". These "leaders" are "novices", that is, sugar customers who go out for the first time. Like apprentices accepted by craftsmen, they are led and guided by "Nianbo". In addition, when absorbing the new sugar burden, it is necessary to go through the formalities of paying a New Year call to Bo.