Abstract:
The Qing Dynasty was a critical period of time when Shaanxi local economy gained great development and local vocational production and pattern of regional economy took shape. In Guanzhong, the assemblage of Shaanxi’s bests and representative in business development, appeared several typical handcraft and business towns and cities. By the general level of development, however, those vocational cities had only limited capacity of commodity collection and distribution, lagged behind the county towns, and the sites of counties were still the centers of commercial market, forming a scattered and radiating pattern of smallsize town and village market. As for the number of businesses, according to the records of tax payment in The Provincial Financial Description of Shaanxi in the imperial title of Xuantong, it is estimated that the average number of states and counties in Shaanxi was approximately 100 with 400 at most and 30 at least.
