The history of Huizhou merchants covers about 600 years, and for 300 years they dominated the region. They occupy a significant place in the history of Chinese commerce. In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), as the capital was moved from Kaifeng to Lin'an (now Hangzhou), the political and economic center shifted to the south as well. This stimulated the economy of neighboring areas to develop, and introduced the Central Plains culture to the South.

Huizhou was situated in an important place between Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. It was significant to the economy of Southeast China as a communication hub between the north and south. Hence, because of Huizhou's particular geographical location and the need for economic development, landowners began to take up business.

Huizhou merchants were not born merchants. Their success was a result of various social factors and their painstaking efforts. The Huizhou Chronicle of the Jiaqing years (1796-1821) describes them as "properly dressed, well-spoken," "fully aware of prices, knowing when to buy and sell," and "gaining extra profits from selling local goods to other places."

The earliest people who left Huizhou to "make a living away from home" never suspected that a flourishing Huizhou business would "spread almost all over the country," and that Huizhou merchants would "gain national fame."

At the beginning of the Southern Song Dynasty, according to records, Huizhou people were "engaged in trade everywhere," selling tea, ink, paper, and wood. After Emperor Jiajing's reign in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the number of traders amounted to 70 percent of the total Huizhou population.

As the saying went, "It is a Huizhou practice that 13 year-olds start their career in town and at 17 they do business all over the country." Usually at the age of 12 or 13, Huizhou children began to work as apprentices in town.

The shortage of land and the overabundant manpower drove the farmers away from farming. The Ming Dynasty Anhui Chronicle comments, "Many Huizhou people take up business, because they have no other choice." Generally they did small trading, and most of them were under the control of big business.