Abstract:  In the Qing Dynasty, copper had long been imported from Nagasaki, Japan to ensure the domestic coinage needs. From the late Kangxi to the early Qianlong reign, the government even implemented policies of “using treasury funds to purchase copper.” It was carried out by off icials who recruited merchants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Suzhou, therefore, became the center of this business, which attracted many merchants and boatmen. Due to limited historical materials, it has been diff icult to conduct a comprehensive and detailed research of these business activities and living conditions. Focusing on two cases in Suzhou in early Yongzheng era, I use recently collected routine memorials of the Board of Revenue to analyze merchants who were involved in those cases, and to further reveal and describe the merchants who were active in Suzhou and the southeast coast.