| "A high-ranking Fire National would never throw a tantrum in a formal setting. An Earth Kingdom citizen forgetting to maintain face? A Water Tribe trader withholding their legendary generosity? Unheard of. Unless they were shangs." |
| — Zongdu Henshe's thoughts.[1] |
The shang merchants, often just called the shangs, were a powerful socioeconomic and political class that emerged in the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Water Tribes in the aftermath of the Platinum Affair around the 5th to 4th century BG. As all three nations entered a period of isolationism, the shang merchants controlled the only cities in these nations open to limited amounts of international trade.[2]
History[]
The shang system was established a brief time after the Platinum Affair, when the ports of the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Water Tribes had been closed in response to Fire Nation and Water Tribe intervention in support of General Nong, who tried and failed to depose Earth King Feishan. However, the Earth King's court still wanted goods from abroad, and there was money to be made from exports. As a result, the Earth King, the Fire Nation, and the Chief of the Water Tribes agreed to the establishment of four cities open to controlled amounts of international trade.[2]
The cities open to trade were Bin-Er, Jonduri, Port Tuugaq, and Taku. They were put under the purview of noble and merchant families, which became known as shangs. Each shang city had an elected officer who would be in charge for a few years before stepping down, called a zongdu. Under the terms that gave them their power, the shangs were not allowed to maintain a fighting force.[2] The shang merchants quickly became known for their extreme greed and corruption, to the point that Fire Nationals would throw tantrums in public, Earth Kingdom citizens would forget to maintain face, and Water Tribe traders would withhold their legendary generosity.[1] Many workers migrated to the shang cities, but did not have the opportunity to leave due to corrupt control offices that considered anyone seeking an exit pass to be a threat, unless their emigration benefitted the shang merchants in some way.[3] This led to a rise in extreme poverty and unemployment, and the shangs continued to short-change their workers.[4]
Information intelligence became desired most of all in the shang cities. Deals in the making, contracts, meeting notes, and letters could be extremely valuable for anyone in the know, or even verbal agreements tying obscene amounts of money together. The shang cities soon became famous for errand-runners working for shangs, and becoming cities full of spies.[5]
Aware that they were vulnerable to the Earth King, Fire Lord, and Chief of the Water Tribes, Zongdu Dooshim and Zongdu Chaisee began to develop the Unanimity project in secret, a supposed weapon of mass destruction that could put the balance of power squarely in the hands of the shang merchants. This research was eventually completed, leading to three firebenders developing combustionbending for the first time in recorded history.[6][7]
Avatar Yangchen made her first visit to a shang city a while after she became fully-realized, making an official visit to Bin-Er. While meeting with the shangs at the gathering hall, she petitioned them to implement reforms to alleviate the suffering and poverty, but the shangs would not budge. She then revealed that she had been scouting around Bin-Er for longer than they realized, and she had noted many more ships docking than were allowed by charter, putting pressure on them to implement reforms or she would reveal this with the Earth King. After she left, the shangs of Bin-Er began to panic, and Zongdu Henshe promised he would implement the Unanimity project in Bin-Er. Yangchen spied on them as they spoke about the project, and she went to Jonduri to investigate.[2][1]
Zongdu Chaisee refused to move Unanimity from Jonduri to Bin-Er, and so Henshe petitioned her in person. After the zongdu threatened to have her removed before her term was complete, Chaisee agreed to move Unanimity, but did not plan to follow through. However, Henshe used his spy, Kalyaan, to move the combustionbenders to Bin-Er.[6] He told the Earth King he wanted to strike a new deal, and then had the combustionbenders begin a display of fireballs above the city. Yangchen and her companions managed to disable the threat by removing enough air for the combustionbenders that they lost consciousness. In the wake of the chaos, the shangs of Bin-Er stayed out of sight. Henshe and the combustionbenders were confined to the Northern Air Temple, with the monks providing aid in the city. After meeting with the Earth King, Yangchen convinced him that this was a spiritual incident, and was given control of Bin-Er so that she could reform it while also increasing the king's revenues.[8][9]
Known members[]
Trivia[]
- Shang (商) was an occupation classification of the merchants in premodern Chinese society, as one of the "four occupations" of the common people.
- Though the ultimate fate of the shangs has not been confirmed, the shang locations of Taku and Shimsom Big Island were still major trade centers for centuries after Yangchen's time.[10][11]
- The shang system was partially inspired by the real-world cohong system.[12]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Twelve, "Outside Options". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Nine, "Theater". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Seven, "The Proposition". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Two, "Voices of the Present". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Four, "Forgiveness". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Twenty-Seven, "Closing the Deal". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Thirty-Three, "Last Chances". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Thirty-Eight, "The Earth King". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Thirty-Nine, "Honored Guests". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ Yee, F. C. (author), DiMartino, Michael Dante (author). (July 16, 2019). Chapter One, "The Test". The Rise of Kyoshi. Amulet Books.
- ↑ From older Avatar: The Last Airbender official site, originally on Nick.com. Encyclopedia now broken, archived at The Lost Lore of Avatar Aang - Location: Abandoned Ruins of Taku.
- ↑ Basco, Dante (host), Varney, Janet (host), Yee, F. C. (guest), Wu, Nancy (guest). (February 20, 2024). "Bookbending! with F.C. Yee & Nancy Wu". Avatar: Braving the Elements. Episode 106. Apple Podcasts.