The Dayinggu Approach and Taizhou's Shareholding Cooperative System
Taizhou was the birthplace of contemporary China's shareholding cooperative system. Its prototype of shareholding cooperative system -- the Dayinggu approach -- came into being more than 100 years ago. The economy of Taizhou was underdeveloped and somewhat backward for a long time and the coastal residents had to rely on fishing to earn a living. Larger boats were better for fishing, but one household was often unable to afford a big boat independently, and therefore, the Dayinggu approach was adopted to solve this problem. It denoted an approach that pooled human, material and financial resources from a number of households for a big project. In this case, the fishermen combined more than one household's supply to acquire a larger boat. The profits from fishing would be distributed according to the amount of funds every household had provided. The mode of Dayinggu was in essence a shareholding cooperative system, and dividends were paid to shareholders according to the amounts they had invested. Having the basic elements of a modern shareholding cooperative system, the Dayinggu approach could thus be regarded as the origin of Taizhou's shareholding cooperative system.
Since 1949, the Dayinggu approach has consistently played an important role in Taizhou's development. During periods of depression in the collective agricultural economy, farmers and fishermen trapped in economic plight would turn to the Dayinggu approach to set up shareholding cooperative enterprises, and innovated the business operation system. The innovation and development of shareholding cooperative system in Taizhou can be roughly divided into three stages:
The first stage spanned from the 1960s to the late 1970s, when joint-stock enterprises were set up in secret. Some farmers in Taizhou established joint-stock enterprises such as the Hongwei Instrument and Meter Factory in Yuhuan. Such enterprises at that time were established in the name of collectives. In the 1970s, setting up business partnerships became a commonplace in Taizhou.
The second stage started from the early 1980s, and these secret joint-stock enterprises began to operate openly. The implementation of the household contract responsibility system allowed farming households to take the initiative in managing agricultural production. This inspired more and more households to establish joint-stock enterprises.
The third stage was the period between 1984 and 1990 when the system was further developed. In 1985, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued Ten Policies on Further Invigorating the Rural Economy, in which joint-stock cooperation was encouraged officially for the first time. It thus endorsed the form of business partnership in Taizhou, provided policy support for Taizhou's shareholding cooperative system and promoted its further development.
In China's reform of the economic system, Taizhou's shareholding cooperative system differs from both the southern Jiangsu mode featuring collective operation and the Wenzhou mode characterized by individual and private operation. Underlying Taizhou's shareholding cooperative system is exactly the city's Hehe Culture.
“打硬股”与台州式股份合作制
台州是当代中国股份合作制的发源地。台州历史上就有“打硬股”的传统生产方式，距今已有百余年历史。台州经济曾长期落后，沿海渔民靠出海打鱼为生。那时，小船打不了鱼，大船才能多打一些，可一家一户又没钱造大船，于是台州人就采用“打硬股”的方式。“打硬股”，就是多个家庭聚集人力、物力和财力来完成一件大事，比如几个人、几户人家凑钱造一艘大船，大船出海获得的收入，按各个家庭出资的多少进行分红。这种“打硬股”的方式，在所有制上是股份制的，在经营方式上是合作经营的，在分配方式上是按股分红的。可见，“打硬股”其实已经具备了现代股份合作制的基本要素，可以被视为台州股份合作制的起源。
1949年后，“打硬股”在台州一直没有中断过，每当农业集体经济不景气，农渔民生活困难时，人们就会联合起来，采用“打硬股”的传统方式创办股份合作企业，实现企业经营制度的创新。纵观台州股份合作制的创新、成长过程，大致可分为三个阶段：第一阶段为20世纪60年代到70年代末的隐蔽创办阶段，台州农民以股份形式创办企业，如玉环的“红卫仪表厂”，当时的股份合作企业是以集体企业的形式出现的，到20世纪70年代，合伙办企业的现象在台州已非常普遍。第二阶段为20世纪80年代前期的公开创办阶段，随着农村家庭联产承包责任制的推行，农民生产经营自主权的增强，多家合股办企业进一步发展。第三阶段是1984年到1990年的发展阶段，1985年中共中央、国务院颁布《关于进一步活跃农村经济的十项政策》第一次明确提倡股份式合作，为台州的“集体合作经营”正了名，也为台州股份合作制的发展提供了政策依据，促进了台州股份合作制的大发展。
在中国经济体制改革进程中，台州创建的以股份合作为主的企业制度，既区别于北面的以集体经营为主的“苏南模式”，也不同于南面的以个体和私营为主的“温州模式”。这种股份合作制的文化基础就是台州的和合文化。
