Fujian Group 福建商幫

The birth of the Fujian Group was a response to the tributary trade system and maritime- trade banning polices enforced by the imperial court during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). As a result, the group's trade activities were closely tied with smuggling. Fujian merchants set up strongholds in the coastline areas to help them collect and hoard commodities, which were then smuggled when opportunity arose. Some Fujian Group members may have even acted as pirates from time to time. Most of the merchants were also engaged in overland trade. Fujian merchants combined domestic trade with foreign trade in various forms, and become one of the most influential local business groups at the end of the feudal period.