The information comes from collecting local chronicles on the Internet

  Rice, wheat and flour prices in Shanghai from Xinhai Revolution to the eve of the Anti-Japanese War

  At the end of the Qing dynasty, there were two consecutive years of drought and famine. Rice merchants took advantage of the situation to hoard rice, causing prices to rise. On September 13, 1911, Shanghai was restored. On September 20, the military governor of Shanghai issued an order for rice merchants to sell at a fair price and prohibited the export of rice. In 1912, the price of rice stabilized at the previous year's level. In 1913, there was a bumper harvest, and over the next six years, the price of rice fluctuated between 6.42 and 7.40 yuan per stone. In 1918, the Yellow River basin suffered from drought, and in 1919, the Yangtze River valley experienced flooding, causing prices to rise. The price of rice in Shanghai rose to 9.61 yuan and 9.68 yuan respectively in those two years. From 1920 to 1923, the price of rice broke through the 10-yuan barrier. In 1924, a drought occurred in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and due to the war between the Northern Warlords Qi Xieyuan, Lu Yongxiang, Sun Chuanfang, and Zhang Zuolin near Shanghai, the price of rice skyrocketed. In August, it reached as high as 17.85 yuan per stone. In 1925 and 1926, there were good harvests, and the price of rice fell to 14.77 yuan and 11.17 yuan respectively. However, in 1926, a locust plague occurred, causing prices to rise again after autumn. Due to the influence of the global capitalist economic crisis, silver prices fell, and China's currency depreciated accordingly. Starting from November 1927, the price of rice exceeded 15 yuan per stone. In April and May 1928, grain prices continued to rise, reaching a high of 24 yuan, causing social unrest. A "Grain Committee" was formed by agricultural experts, grain merchants, and relevant authorities to discuss importing foreign rice and decided to start selling rice at a fixed price from early May. Over the course of five months until September, a total of 69,032 stones of rice were sold at an average price of 13.83 yuan per stone. After autumn, new rice entered the market, and prices began to stabilize. From 1929 onwards, capitalist countries implemented dumping policies to get rid of their economic crisis, causing large amounts of foreign rice to flood into Shanghai's grain market, leading to a decline in prices. In 1930, the January 28 Incident broke out, and Japanese troops invaded Shanghai, causing the rice market to temporarily halt. However, after reopening, prices continued to fall, reaching below 9 yuan per stone by year-end, and by summer 1932, the lowest price had fallen below 8 yuan. In July 1932, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces suffered from severe drought, and inland waterways dried up, causing grain supplies to decrease and prices to rise above 10 yuan per stone. In the first half of 1933, there were four months where rice prices reached as high as 13 yuan. In November, grain merchants from disaster-stricken areas in Jiangsu and Zhejiang came to Shanghai to purchase grain, causing prices to rise again. However, soon after, foreign rice flooded into the market once more, causing prices to fall. In 1934, prices fell below 10 yuan, but recovered to 11-12 yuan in 1935.

  From the founding of the Republic to the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, wheat prices were stable but relatively low. From 1912 to 1924, wheat prices, except for 1915 when they reached 5.48 yuan per dan, fluctuated between 3.81 and 5.14 yuan, all below the level of 5.4 yuan in the third year of Xuantong. In 1925-1930, with the import of Soviet wheat and a loan of $50 million from the United States to purchase American wheat, large quantities of foreign wheat were imported. The September 18 Incident led to the fall of Northeast China, affecting flour sales in Shanghai, resulting in an oversupply of wheat and a drop in prices. By June 1934, the price of new wheat had fallen to a low of 2.71 yuan per dan. After July, due to the rise in international wheat prices and domestic drought, wheat prices rebounded. In 1936, wheat prices continued to rise, and by winter, international wheat prices surged, causing wheat prices to rebound to 6.07 yuan per dan in 1937.

  The price trend of flour corresponds to that of wheat. From the first year to the 13th year of the Republic of China, the price per package (25 kg) was between 2-3 yuan. From the 14th to the 19th year and from the 12th to the 24th year, the price of flour fell back to 2.24-2.77 yuan. In May of the 23rd year, it once dropped to 2 yuan. From the 25th to the 26th year, the international market price of flour rose.

  Soybean prices were relatively stable from 1925 to 1929, with wholesale prices per dan (unit of measurement) maintained between 5-6 yuan. In 1930, prices briefly exceeded 6 yuan before falling in October. From August 1933, prices entered a trough of 3.5-4.5 yuan. By November 1935, prices rebounded to above 5 yuan. In June 1936, the puppet state of Manchukuo signed an agreement with Germany to supply 500,000 dan of soybeans per year, affecting Shanghai's soybean supply and causing prices to rise. By the eve of the war, wholesale soybean prices reached 6.5 yuan per dan.

  Corn price. From the 14th to the 26th year of the Republic, except for October 1929 to November 1930, the wholesale price did not exceed 4 yuan per ton. In April and May 1934, it once fell below 2.50 yuan.

  Modern Shanghai Cotton Yarn and Cloth Prices (1912-)

  After the outbreak of World War I, the reduction in imports of foreign yarns and fabrics to China, as well as the patriotic boycott of Japanese goods movement in the 1920s, allowed Shanghai's national textile industry to develop. In addition to Huasheng (later renamed Sanxin) and Hengfeng, other Chinese-owned textile mills such as Shenxin and Yong'an also began operations, and the dyeing and weaving industries started to grow, with both industries earning significant profits. In 1919, the cost of producing a spindle of yarn at Shanghai's cotton mills was 149.55 taels, while the selling price was 200 taels. After the September 18 Incident, Japanese goods flooded the market, causing the yarn and cloth market to decline, with yarn prices falling. By 1931, the price of a spindle of 16-count yarn had fallen to 237.6 yuan, and by 1935 it had dropped to 170 yuan.

  In 1921, the Shanghai National Textile Industry Association organized the Chinese Silk Factory Union and established the Chinese Silk Exchange. The standard trading product was 16-count cotton yarn with the Ren Zhong Shang brand (other brands maintained a fixed price difference); cotton cloth was 13-pound Fei Teng brand and 11-pound Quan San Hu brand, with market prices published daily.

  During this period, the two exchanges coexisted and had basically the same transaction price levels. At that time, the trading prices of Shanghai Cotton Exchange were determined by: market supply and demand; domestic and international cotton prices; and the highs and lows of Osaka Cotton Market in Japan. According to the July 8, 1921 issue of Shen Bao, the closing prices for the Shanghai Securities Commodity Exchange were: 16-count Yunhe standard cotton for July delivery at 148.2 taels. The Huashang Cotton Exchange had the following closing prices: 16-count Renzhong standard cotton for July delivery at 148.2 taels; 11-pound Sanhu cotton cloth for July delivery at 4.75 taels; and 13-pound Feitian cotton cloth for July delivery at 5.5 taels.