On The Formation of Cities in the Shang Dynasty

The controversy in the academic field about when Chinese cities were formed results from the different understandings of the connotation of the term city.Cities reflect the politics,economy,and culture of a country or an area in a specific historical period.The related literature and materials of archaeology show that the Shang Dynasty had not only the defense facilities like city walls and trenches,but also markets where goods could be exchanged.It also had the multi-layer social hierarchy and developed industry and commerce.All the above contribute to the emergence of cities as the political,economic and cultural center of an area in the specific historical period.That is to say,Chinese cities were formed in the Shang Dynasty earliest.