Towns and Regional Economic Development of Shanxi in Ming and Qing Dynasties

The emergence and rise of towns are not only affected by political and military factors, but also restricted by natural conditions, traffic situation as well the development level of commodity economy. Shanxi's towns flourished in late Ming dynasty and early Qing dynasty. The towns' shaping, rise and fall resulted from different reasons and these towns had different types and characteristics. This article discusses the rise and prosperity of Shanxi's towns, its internal relations with Shanxi business.