Abstract
The flow of information, cultures, goods, capital, and human resources echo off each other inside the network, while offering urban-rural integration based on market economy in traditional Chinese societies. Grassroot market towns and village markets were actually very well developed in traditional Chinese societies. In the extensive connections among urban and rural lives, business transactions brought about by the flow of every single production and life element determined the model for China’s traditional society—market economy.
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Notes
- 1.
Prof. Fu Yiling (傅依凌, 1988) replaced the term “feudal society” by “traditional society” in his last paper ‘中国传统社会:多元的结构’(“China’s traditional society: a diverse/multi-variate structure”), admitting that China has had a dynamic social structure since the end of primitive society.
- 2.
Prof. Zhao Gang approached the analysis of the Chinese market economy under private ownership system through the school of thought of economic systems that believed property ownership was equivalent to decision-making power. In his illustration, the Chinese private ownership system was established early in history, supported by the legal evidence of rural land private ownerships started by the Reforms of Shang Yang (秦国商鞅变法) in the warring states period (东周战国). Private ownership system stimulated the formation of markets. Markets are places for transfer and exchange of property ownership (Zhao Gang赵冈. Lun zhongguo chuantong shehui de xingzhi 论中国传统社会的性质 [the Characters of Chinese Traditional Society]. The Journal of Chinese Social and Economic History, 中国社会经济史研究 2(1998):1–6).
- 3.
Li Zi 李孜. Nongchun Dianshan Jueqi 农村电商崛起 [Rise of Ecommerce in Rural China]. Beijing: Publishing House of Electronics Industry, 2016: VI.
- 4.
Zhao Gang 赵冈. Zhongguo chengshi fazhan shilunji 中国城市发展史论集 [History of Chinese Urban Development]. New Star Press 新星出版社, 2006.
- 5.
Chen Yun 陈云. Chen yun wenxua:1949–1956 陈云文选: 一九四九--一九五六年 [Anthology of Chen Yun: From 1949 to1956]. People’s Publishing House人民出版社, 1984.
- 6.
Jin Guantao 金观涛, Liu Qingfeng 刘青峰. Kaifangzhong de bianqian “开放中的变迁.” [the variations during the open]. Hong Kong: Chinese University Hong Kong (1993).
- 7.
Fei, Hsiao-Tung. Peasant life in China. Read Books Ltd, 2013.
- 8.
Several models of development were recognized by scholars (周爾鎏,张雨林, 1994): Su Nan Model (South of Jiangsu province), Zhu Jiang Model ( in Fujian and Guangdong provinces), Wen Zhou Model (in North of Jiangsu province), Bao Ji Model (Shaanxi Province), Chang De Model ( in Hunan province), Min Quan Model ( in Henan province). During this period, economic progress was remarkable in villages because of both closed domestic market and village reforms. Income gaps narrowed between cities and villages. Some farmers were even earning higher income than residence in the cities. Integrated urban-rural relationship is a trend in that period.
- 9.
The neighborhood administrative system and labor servitude system were the fundamental policies in rural self-governance. The central government was not willing to extend its administration below levels of District; the administrative work was outsourced to local representatives. The principles of neighborhood administrative system and labor servitude system were to have neighborhood monitoring each other to maintain social order, ensure tax collections and oversee/control/enforce labor servitude. The local wealthy clans took turns to take on these responsibilities. They had to set themselves as good examples in community by submitting taxes timely and conforming to labor servitude system, and also perform free administrative and military defense services.
- 10.
Zhao Gan,.赵冈, Chen Zhongyi 陈钟毅. Zhongguo tudi zhidu shi 中国土地制度史 [History of Chinese Land System]. New Star Press 新星出版社, 2006.
- 11.
Yo Shinobu Shiba 斯波义信. Songdai jiangnan jignjishi yanjiu 宋代江南经济史研究[the Ecnomic History of Jiangnan in Song Dynasty]. NanJing: Jiang Su People Pubishing 南京: 江苏人民出版社, 2012.
- 12.
Fu zongwen 傅宗文. Songdai caoshizhen yanjiu 宋代草市镇研究 [Study of town in Song Dynasty] 福州: 福州人民出版社, 1991.
- 13.
Poor township (窄乡or 狭乡) means population without enough fields to do agriculture. (Xing Tang Shu.”Shi Huo Zhi Yi”新唐书. “食货志一.”)
- 14.
Based on the study of Chinese market system and combined with central place theory raised by the German scholar Walter Christaller (Walter Christaller), Skinner proposed a center-edge theory. He divided China’s geographical center into two levels: the central region and the regional system, and the central region is proposed to function as an economic center. According to different economic functions of the varying centers derived a division of different classes, based on which corresponding regional systems were formed. In regional systems Skinner proposed a core - periphery structure theory, in various parts of the local government system, the responsibilities born by core government in social management was lighter than that of peripheral regions, ( Note: Skinner: “ Cities and Local System level” Yeguang Ting such as translation, Skinner editor of “ late Imperial China city”). Skinner believes bureaucracy focused on the central areas, while the regional system is concentrated with informal politics and subcultures ( Note: Skinner: “ Cities and Local System level “ translated by Ye Guangting, Skinner editor of “ Chinese late Imperial city “). In calculating the primary market coverage and ratio between the primary markets and mid-markets, Skinner introduced a hexagonal pattern. This model is based on the assumption of complete homogeneity, that is to say, Skinner must first assume that all of the background and market conditions were equal, they were at the same latitude, all were located in the plains, without obstacles like rivers, and resources were evenly distributed, all the villages scattered uniformly in this area. therefore, geometrically speaking, to achieve a seamless connection between market areas, the coverage area of each of the primary market has only three options: a deltoid, a square or a hexagonal The principle of equidistance left the shape of any market and neighboring markets to have only one option: regular hexagon. Put it another way: each standard area of the market are circular, however, when a large number of circular were present, they squeezed each other to become an overall honeycomb. Based on the same principle of uniform division, each hexagon must contain the number of same village, so, from the geometric segmentation point of view, only 6, 18 and 36 and other limited number segmentation could arise. Skinner calculated the ratio of number of villages to the number of markets in the whole Guangdong Province in the 1890s found it to be 19.6, thus proving the “Eighteen villages in a market” model in China’s rural social to be valid. Skinner used this model to analyze Sichuan, Zhejiang and other rural society, and found out most of the market covered 17–21 natural villages, theory and reality matched surprisingly well. Skinner used this hexagonal model to further infer:, the primary markets in more favorable location may have upgraded to the middle market, middle market covered not only the original site of the primary market, but also part of the adjacent six grassroots markets, which might be located at the six corners of the hexagon (model a), or at the midpoint of the six sides (model B), regardless of which model, mid-market and must be set on collection of all the staggered primary market around.
- 15.
In his “Study of Jiangnan’s economic history in Song Dynasty”, Shiba Yoshinobu mentioned while explaining the characteristics of the period of time, that the Song elevated itself from the prolonged continuation of the “ aristocracy “ society, and established a “ monarch centralization.” He also regarded Song as the watershed in the Chinese imperial millennium. is within the scope of this Bureaucratic empire to examine this watershed, which started from agriculture, commerce until the political, social and cultural aspects, until a new combination was produced. Chinese bureaucratic system in a series of economic growth manipulation adapt itself to this kind of upheaval, and lasted for a thousand years longer.
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Zi, L. (2019). A Unique Path: The Evolution of China’s Urban-Rural Relationship. In: Online Urbanization. Advances in 21st Century Human Settlements. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3603-4_3
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