In the trade of Chinese medicinal materials, “major players” hold a significant position, often referring to those with strong financial backing, good credibility, and impressive transaction volumes, who can even influence market trends. We often hear in production areas that certain individuals are major players in a particular variety, and buying from them is usually a safe bet. In these areas, being a major player is a label that affirms the operator’s status.
From the perspective of Bai Shao (Paeonia lactiflora), its characteristics include concentrated production areas, stable quality, clear specifications, and high demand. Logically, Bai Shao should be a variety with low operational difficulty, and many major players should emerge in its trade. However, the reality is contrary; succeeding in the Bai Shao business and scaling it up is not easy.
Because Bai Shao is located in the largest medicinal material distribution center in the country, there is no shortage of buyers in Bozhou, making it easy for farmers and traders to sell. The entry barrier for Bai Shao trading is very low; as long as one is willing to work hard, anyone can participate in the business. This has led to a large number of people involved in Bai Shao trading, with the entire industry comprising tens of thousands of individuals. Distribution centers are often the areas with the most developed market information, where market conditions are relatively transparent and homogeneity is quite evident. Coupled with the quick turnover characteristic of Bozhou traders, it becomes difficult for operators to form competitive advantages.
Bai Shao follows a typical traditional “dew collection” trading model, where both buyers and sellers must rise early. The market opens before dawn and disperses shortly after daybreak, causing distress for both parties. For buyers, the pain lies not only in the early hours but also in the constant deception and trickery they face. Even today, some farmers and traders still engage in practices of misrepresentation and adulteration, and if you cannot see through it, they will benefit. “Not being able to win” is a sentiment expressed by many merchants after experiencing the market.
In such a market environment, the large-scale trading of Bai Shao has evolved into a commission-based purchasing method at markets. This purchasing method is very common in the trade of medicinal materials, seemingly solving the problem of difficulty in sourcing goods for merchants. However, this method of procurement is not only labor-intensive and time-consuming, but also makes quality control difficult, failing to directly match the standards required by enterprises, thus bringing troubles to large-scale transactions.
Bozhou traders are known for their cunning business practices; some major buyers have extremely poor reputations, engaging in monopolistic practices, theft, deception, and other dishonest behaviors that have historically occurred. Some bad habits have not yet been eradicated today. Practices such as swapping goods, manipulating weights, and colluding with traders to deceive out-of-town merchants are still common among certain buyers. The decline of the Dasi market can be attributed to the self-sabotage of its traders. Most major clients coming to Bozhou for goods dare not entrust these major buyers, opting instead to seek help from acquaintances or friends for purchasing. This commission-based purchasing leads to a lack of genuine operators in the large-scale trading of Bai Shao, reducing them to mere collectors. Collectors profit by taking commissions; they are merely “movers” of Bai Shao, and many transactions are one-off deals, making it impossible to discuss the credibility and quality that enterprises pursue. Some collectors, in pursuit of greater profits, do not focus on quality or quantity but instead resort to deceptive practices to gain profits. Rather than attributing this to the cunning of some Bozhou people, it is more accurate to say that this market trading model has fostered the prevalence of unethical practices.
Of course, this is not meant to belittle the people of Bozhou; such behaviors are not limited to Bozhou alone. In other production areas, Bozhou people are also victims, all living in a walled city of mutual deception and harm. We must face the problems that have arisen in the past and present; only by acknowledging these issues and having the courage to self-reflect can we identify shortcomings and find solutions, leading to continuous improvement.
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