Social Background of the Formation of Regional Commercial Groups in the Ming Dynasty

Since the middle period of the Ming Dynasty, the communication was greatly approved, the development of commercial production came to increased; silver was taken as currency; commercial duties decreased, and every social status took a new look to the businessmen. These all conduced to the formation of regional commercial groups. In the meanwhile, characteristics of commercial production, natural advantages and production structures of every region, the frontier and foreign policies of the Ming Dynasty, local customs and their attitudes to business etc. became social factors of the constitution of the regional commercial groups.