The development of cities in Shanxi Province during the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Aim To deal with the problem of the overall scale,system and structure of the development of the cities in Shanxi Province in the Ming and Qing Dynasties,and analyze the characteristic of these cities.Methods Using the principle of historical geography and other related disciplines to research this problem.Results The overall development level of the cities in Shanxi Province during the Ming and Qing Dynasties was quite steady.The overall quantity of cities in the Province changed slightly from early to later period.The urban population and the development level of cities′economy all had more obvious growth than before.Conclusion The development of the cities in this period had a close relationship with the development of the total population,the overall development of the economy in Shanxi and the development of the national socio-economic environment.