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New book chronicles Guangdong’s millennium of trade, tracing China’s commercial spirit_我的网站

斯巴达克斯第三季

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Night view of Guangzhou's CBD in South China's Guangdong Province Photo: VCG
The monumental full length reportage Ballet of Commerce: The Epic of Guangdong's Foreign Trade by famous writer He Jianming is set to make its debut at the Southern China Book Fair from August 27 to 31 in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province.
Published by the Guangdong Education Publishing House, the book is the first of its kind to offer a panoramic account of Guangdong's millennium of trade and will be presented as a special offering for 2026's APEC "China Year," Xu Xiaofeng, an editor with the publishing house, told the Global Times on Monday.
China will host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen, Guangdong in November. It will be China's third time hosting the event, following Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014.
He, a former vice chairman of the China Writers Association and recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Chinese Reportage Literature in 2023, told the Global Times on Monday that as the world watches the evolving trade relationship between China and the US, there is a growing need for a book that can help Western readers gain a deeper understanding of China's trading culture and how Chinese people have conducted business throughout history.
Guangdong marks the starting point of China's thousand-year maritime trade with the world. Through its foreign trade trajectory, the book reflects China's broader trade evolution, the enduring values of the Chinese spirit in the modern era, and the distinctive civilizational traits that have shaped China's rise, He noted.
Guangdong is both the birthplace of the ancient Maritime Silk Road and a pioneer of China's reform and opening-up. As a vital artery of commercial exchange between China and the rest of the world, the Maritime Silk Road has witnessed the evolution and transformation of the Chinese economy over the centuries.
During the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, silk was among the main goods transported along the route, earning it the name "Silk Road." During the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties, porcelain became a major export commodity, leading the route to be known as the "Porcelain Road." By the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, tea had emerged as a sought-after Chinese export in Europe, giving rise to yet another name - the "Tea Road," according to a report by the Counselor's Office of the Guangdong Provincial People's Government.
He Jianming talks about his new book on August 10. Photo: Wu Jie/GT

He Jianming talks about his new book on August 10. Photo: Wu Jie/GT
Mutual benefit
Guangdong, China's largest foreign trade province, accounts for about one-fifth of the country's total trade and imports. As a major manufacturing hub with deep and extensive industrial chains, it creates significant demand for production factors, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
In the first half of this year, Guangdong's foreign trade reached 5.49 trillion yuan ($810 billion), surpassing the 5-trillion-yuan mark for the first time in the same period on record. The figure represented a year-on-year increase of 20.8 percent and accounted for 21.6 percent of China's total foreign trade. The province contributed an additional 944.71 billion yuan in trade volume, accounting for 25.6 percent of the country's foreign trade growth, according to official statistics released in July.
Having interviewed over 100 enterprises and institutions, He said that the book revisits the enduring legacy of the Maritime Silk Road, highlighting the exchanges between China and the West and the fusion of diverse civilizations.
"At the heart of Chinese business culture is the belief that 'harmony is the most valuable.' Rooted in traditional Chinese culture, this philosophy emphasizes cooperation and mutual benefit. Rather than viewing strength as a means to overpower others, Chinese merchants have traditionally embraced the idea that prosperity should be shared. When one grows stronger, others can benefit and achieve success together. This aspect of Chinese commercial culture remains unfamiliar to many in the Western world," said the 70-year-old writer.
Wang Yuanlin, a professor at the School of Humanities Guangzhou University, told the Nanfang Plus (a Guangdong-based news platform) that mutually beneficial and fair foreign trade policies, together with Guangdong merchants' long-standing tradition of integrity and win-win cooperation, have been key factors behind the province's enduring success in foreign trade.
Ballet of Commerce: The Epic of Guangdong's Foreign Trade by He Jianming Photo: Courtesy of Xu Xiaofeng

Ballet of Commerce: The Epic of Guangdong's Foreign Trade by He Jianming Photo: Courtesy of Xu Xiaofeng
Elegant business
The author said that the choice of "ballet" in the book's title reflects the idea that Chinese business practices have developed into an art form - one characterized by balance and elegance.
"I want the Western world to understand that when the Industrial Revolution was just beginning and the Renaissance was sweeping across Europe, Chinese people had already mastered the art of commerce," He said.
Through conversations with entrepreneurs ranging from grassroots business founders to prominent corporate leaders such as Dong Mingzhu, chairperson of Gree Electric Appliances, He chronicles Guangdong's transformation from a millennia-old trading hub into a global industrial powerhouse.
"Just imagine: Employees at a private company can step into a space capsule after lunch and take a nap in their own private sleeping quarters. With a company like that, how could it not succeed?" he said.
From the exchange of handcrafted goods in the agricultural era to today's trade in high-tech products such as semiconductors and drones, Chinese people have developed a business culture centered on the principle that "harmony is most valuable" over thousands of years of commercial exchange.
This cultural tradition has become a key in driving the continued growth of trade in Guangdong and across China, He added.
。 《住房公积金管理条例》系统性修改： 进一步满足人民群众多元安居需求 住房公积金制度是我国城镇住房制度的重要组成部分，关系广大群众切身利益。当前，人民群众对住房的期待已从“有没有”逐渐转向“好不好”，从遮风挡雨的基本保障，升级为对舒适环境、便捷配套、全龄友好的综合诉求。此外，随着灵活就业群体规模扩大，异地就业、跨城安居成为常态。

B | 这一转变，对住房公积金制度提出了更高要求，住房公积金制度改革呼声越来越大。近日，国务院公布《国务院关于修改〈住房公积金管理条例〉的决定》，自9月20日起施行。这也意味着《住房公积金管理条例》迎来近20年来幅度最大的一次法规修订，为深化住房公积金制度改革提供了更加有力的法治保障。 满足居民对住房“好不好”的新要求 回溯源头，住房公积金制度1991年在上海率先试点，1994年推向全国，1999年《住房公积金管理条例》正式颁布落地。它从诞生之初，就和中国城镇住房制度改革深度绑定。在住房短缺的时代背景下，这套制度破解了城镇住房建设资金不足问题，建立了住房分配由实物向货币化转换的机制，成为20世纪90年代城镇住房制度改革破冰的关键突破口。上海交通大学国际与公共事务学院教授陈杰认为，30多年来，住房公积金制度始终伴随我国城镇住房制度改革与城镇化进程同步成长，从无到有、从单一功能到多元赋能，主动适配不同阶段住房发展需要，为亿万群众安居圆梦提供了坚实支撑。

C | 随着经济社会的发展，时代的条件也在改变，制度的适配性问题慢慢凸显。陈杰指出，住房公积金制度成型于住房增量扩张、固定就业占主导、购房需求集中的阶段。而当下，国内住房发展已经转入新阶段，一系列现实矛盾摆在制度面前。陈杰认为，首先，居民居住需求从“有没有”转向“好不好”，存量住房的装修改造、物业运维、适老化升级等品质提升需求持续释放，原有条例却没有对应的提取通道。其次，数字经济催生规模庞大的灵活就业群体，而原有制度主要覆盖单位在职职工。与此同时，全国统一大市场建设之下，异地就业、跨城安居愈发普遍，大量群众有异地贷款、账户便捷转移接续的现实需要。 制度红利普惠覆盖灵活就业群体 当前，外卖骑手、网约车司机、网络主播、自由设计师等灵活就业群体规模持续壮大。而在过去很长一段时间，住房公积金被视作“单位人”的福利。浙江工业大学中国住房和房地产研究院院长虞晓芬介绍，住房公积金制度建立初期，“单位人”是主要的就业形态，《住房公积金管理条例》因此将住房公积金缴存对象确定为单位及其在职职工。但这也意味着，个体工商户、网约车司机等灵活就业群体被挡在住房公积金制度大门之外。虞晓芬认为，在产业结构加速调整、新业态、新技术快速发展的背景下，劳动者对持续提升自身能力、适应职业变化的需求更加突出。此次条例修改，从法规层面打通了“愿缴能缴”的通道，明确个体工商户、非全日制从业人员以及其他灵活就业人员可以自愿缴存住房公积金，按照规定享受相应的政策支持。虞晓芬认为，将灵活就业人员纳入住房公积金制度覆盖范围，是“投资于人”理念的具体实践。推进灵活就业人员参加住房公积金制度，有利于降低灵活就业人员住房成本，促进灵活就业人员更好融入城市、共享发展成果。实践中，不同城市房地产市场冷热、资金池规模、人口结构差异较大，这就要求统一制度框架之下保留地方弹性。

D | 修改后的条例没有采取全国“一刀切”模式，而是规定灵活就业人员自愿缴存住房公积金的“具体办法由设区的市级以上地方人民政府制定”。对此，陈杰评价认为：“这种统一制度框架与地方差异化政策有机结合的机制，较好契合了住房公积金属地管理的实际情况。

E | ” 扩大住房公积金提取使用范围 条例修改另一处变化是拓宽了公积金提取使用的范围。新增装修自住住房、支付自住住房物业费等提取情形，取消了支付房租的提取门槛。此前，住房公积金资金主要集中在买房、还贷环节。当前，二手房流通加速、存量房更新需求集中释放，大量家庭的居住支出分布在租房、装修、房屋日常养护、缴纳物业费等环节，居住品质提升的现实需求持续上涨。安徽工业大学商学院教授吴义东指出，安居，解决的是“有没有”的底线问题，关乎千家万户的基本生活安顿；宜居，回应的是“好不好”的品质诉求，指向居住体验的持续提升。当前，我国住房发展已进入结构优化和品质提升的发展时期，住房公积金作为联结住房保障与住房消费的重要制度桥梁，在支持城市更新、推动居住品质升级方面具有独特优势。