Kei (English spelling) kye

Japanese: 契 - けい（英語表記）kye

A kind of organization developed in Korea for the purpose of mutual aid and friendship. The kei is an ancient Korean custom that is said to have originated from a tax-paying organization called Gunbukei in the late Goryeo period. From the middle of the Joseon Dynasty (Yi Dynasty) onwards, it spread widely beyond tax-paying organizations and trade associations. There are various types of kei, such as (1) Dongkei (running public welfare projects in villages), Songkei (management and management of village forests), and Gakukei (running schools) for the public benefit of villages, (2) Zongjungkei (ancestral rites and mutual aid) and Soshikei (mutual aid for ceremonial occasions among the same family) for the purpose of mutual aid among the same family, (3) Nokyo (shared use of land and distribution of harvests) for the purpose of assistance in production, (4) Kei for profit, and (5) Kei for social and recreational purposes. Most kei organizations are established voluntarily. The number of members could range from a few to several hundred, and in large associations, the head of the association had officers such as accountants, financial officers, and butlers who were in charge of the receipt and disbursement of money and managing the assets. Nowadays, it is mainly carried out by women and children and has become a type of private financial institution.

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Xie

The founder god of the Shang dynasty in China. Also called King Xuan. It is said that the emperor's second wife, Jian Di, swallowed a swallow's egg to give birth (the egg-laying legend). There is also a legend that he served Shun and Yu.

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Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

朝鮮において発達した一種の相互扶助，親睦などを目的とした団体。契は朝鮮古来の慣習で，高麗時代末期から軍布契という納税団体から始るという。朝鮮王朝 (李朝) 中期以後から納税団体や同業組合だけでなく，広範に普及した。契には，(1) 村落の公益を目的とする洞契 (村落での公益事業の経営) ，松契 (村落共有山林の管理，経営) ，学契 (学校の経営) ，(2) 同族共済を目的とする宗中契 (祖先の祭祀や相互扶助) ，婚葬契 (同族の冠婚葬祭の相互扶助) ，(3) 生産の扶助を目的とする農契 (土地の共同利用，収穫の分配) のほか，(4) 営利を目的とする契，(5) 社交，娯楽を目的とする契などいろいろな種類がある。契組織はそのほとんどが自由意思によって成立する。契員は数名から数百名に達することもあり，大きな契では契長の下に金銭の出納と財産管理のための会計，掌財，財務員として有可，色掌，執事などの役員がおかれた。現在ではおもに婦女子の間で行われ，私的金融機関の一つになっている。