When did the earliest lottery in China begin?

The earliest lottery in China came from the Philippines, and it was called "Luzon Lottery". At that time, the Philippines was a colony of Spain, and the Spanish liked gambling, so the birth of Luzon lottery was not sudden. Luzon lottery was introduced to China because China was forced to open after the Opium War, and many foreign things were introduced to China.

When the lottery first entered China, it didn't get much favor. The government is skeptical about this new thing, because lottery can still be classified as a kind of gambling. According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, gambling has always been strictly prohibited. If an ordinary person is caught, he/she will publicly weigh two people outside the government or prison wearing a cangue and be punished with 4 lashes. If an official is caught, he will be removed from his post.

But when Luzon lottery was first introduced to China, it was popular in the concession area. It is under the jurisdiction of the great powers, and it is difficult for the Qing government to dominate here. More importantly, unlike casinos and group gambling in the past, lottery tickets were bought in a hidden way and only circulated among gamblers. At that time, in the Qing dynasty, there was nothing to do with this new type of gambling. Therefore, Luzon lottery has developed fairly well in China.

Take Shanghai, the largest lottery issuing place in Luzon at that time, as an example. There are 12 lottery tickets issued here every year, with a monthly sales volume of 3, to 4,, each 12 yuan. At that time, this was not a small sum. Luzon lottery has excellent credit. As far as Shanghai is concerned, many people make a living by Luzon lottery. They wholesale lottery tickets and sell them. Although it can't earn the largest share of profits, it is still profitable.

This situation has lasted for decades, and Luzon lottery industry still firmly occupies the leading position in China market. Until 1898, war broke out between America and Spain. Spain was one of the first countries to rise in the era of great navigation, and once occupied a large number of overseas colonies. The United States is an emerging country that has been independent from Britain for a long time. Since then, although the United States has only a history of one hundred years, its strength has advanced by leaps and bounds and it is determined to forge ahead.

Spain's national strength was weakened, and they disgusted the local people in the colonies. So Spain was defeated by the United States, and the colonial Philippines was also taken away by the United States. After the United States occupied the Philippines, the Luzon lottery was abolished.

As a result, the original share of Luzon lottery in China is now directly vacant. Lottery dealers who used to rely on Luzon lottery tickets had to sell other lottery tickets wholesale. Some lottery tickets also want to take this opportunity to seize the market in China. There are foreign lottery tickets and local lottery tickets. However, even if Luzon lottery withdraws from the China market, it is not easy to gain a foothold in a short time.

some of their lottery companies will find all kinds of strength to rely on. Or a senior official of the Qing Dynasty, or a foreign power. The earliest lottery tickets issued in China were also issued at that time. Liu Kunyi, Governor of Liangjiang River, issued the "Jiangnan Charity Lottery" to raise funds for flood relief in Jiangnan, which was the earliest lottery in China.

afterwards, there was the Beiyang Shunzhi Charity Lottery under the jurisdiction of Li Hongzhang, and Zhang Zhidong signed and donated the Hubei Lottery issued by Huguang. The main purpose of issuing these lottery tickets is to raise funds. After Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, Li Hongzhang asked businessmen to raise money to issue shares. Zhang Zhidong wanted to pay the silver allocated by the imperial court to Huguang area after the defeat of Sino-Japanese War.

Behind the change of a lottery ticket, we can see the twists and turns of real history, which is another silent story.