宋初における茶の專賣制度

Abstract

The despotic organization of modern China was established by T'ai Tsu and T'ai Tsong of the Sung Dynasty. Monopoly revenue, such as that from tea and salt, made possible the continuation of this despotism. The two abovementioned emperors established the monopoly of tea. The first aim of tea monopoly was to secure a source of revenue to the State. The second was to have the merchants supply military stores to the enormous number of soldiers stationed at the northern and north-western borders to meet the threat of the awakening racial consciousness of the Kitai, Jiircen and Tangut peoples. The huge advantage of monopolizing tea was given to the merchants who supplied military stores. A third aim was to gain leadership in foreign relations : Sung utilized the trade in tea and horses for this purpose, bestowing vast quantities of tea on her neighbouring states and tribes, among whom at that time the habit of tea-drinking was so popular that they could not live without tea. Moreover, we must notice that the Sung government used the tea monopoly to increase the circulation of copper coin, by requiring people to use copper coins to buy the government-monopolized tea or salt.