The social background of the emergence of regional merchant groups in the Ming Dynasty

Abstract

In the mid-Ming Dynasty, the means of transportation were greatly improved; commodity production became more developed; silver was gradually monetized; commercial taxes became lighter; and social attitudes towards merchants changed. All these developments created a favorable environment for the formation of regional merchant groups. Meanwhile, social factors at the regional level—characteristics of local commodity production, favorable natural environment and production structures, as well as Ming government’s practice of border defense, border trade, foreign policy, local customs, and the interpretation of commercial activities of local people—all contributed to the emergence of merchant groups.

摘要

明代中期起, 交通条件大为改观, 商品生产日益发达, 白银逐步货币化, 商业税率相形变轻, 以及社会各阶层对商人看法的改变, 构成了形成地域商帮极为有利的全国大背景。 与此同时, 各地的商品生产特点, 自然地利条件和产品结构, 明廷的边防边贸和对外政策, 各地的风土人情以及对待经商的认识等各种因素, 成为各地商帮兴起的地域社会因素。