Study Of The Regional Market Surrounding Taiwan Strait In 16-17～(th) Century

The region surrounding Taiwan Strait includes Taiwan Island, Fujian Province and Chaozhou of Guangdong Province. In about 1500 (the middle period of Ming Dynasty ) , the system of paying tribute and corvee was collapsed, the tenant's managing right was extended and the commercial capital seeped into agriculture. Under the circumstances, the local commodity economy was fully-developed, and the long distance trade between mountainous areas and forelands occurred. But both the domestic and overseas markets were limited, and so was the development of commodity economy in Min-chao area, because the sea route was not straightway in the middle period of Ming Dynasty. From the middle period of 16th century, the production and circulation of commodity was greatly developed in the region surrounding Taiwan Strait since the western colonists came, with gold and silver mined in Japan, the Yue Harbor opened and Min-chao businessmen monopolizing foreign trade. The Jiangnan's silk and Jiangxi Province's china were inpoured to Min-chao ports and swarmed into overseas markets in succession with the white sugar , the copy of silk and china produced in the local areas. The importing of silver from abroad promoted Chinese markets, and long distance trade sprang up. All kinds of commodities such as timber, mushroom, dry bamboo shoot, Ittchi, longan, indigotin, paper, steel, red and white sugar and tobacco as well were exported to domestic markets. At the same time, cotton cloth, rice, raw silk and so on were input from Jiangnan, Guangdong, Jiangxi, etc. With the Min-chao market flourishing along with the circulation of goods, it was extended to Taiwan, and finally became the market of the region surrounding Taiwan Strait. The circulation of commodities also brought about the transformation of Min-chao economic structure. Along with the enlargement of consumption, development of businessman stratum, diversification of peasants' way of making a living as well as the local economic structure becoming market , the towns and Xushi in the region surrounding Taiwan strait made great progress in the later period of Ming Dynasty. The sphere of the cities such as Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jianning, Nanping, Shaowu, Tingzhou, Chaozhou was quite expanded, and teeming towns emerged in the bay of Xiamen and on the plain of Chaozhou. The business was booming in the cities and the numbers of Xushi in the countrysides increased greatly. In Fujian, the population in towns was 19% of thewhole province. However, the Min-chao merchant guilds were elbowed out by colonists and restricted by host country gradually from 17th century, and the restriction was rather serious till the later period of 17th century. Their profit percentage declined; sometimes they even lost money in business. The importing of silver from abroad was restricted, so the development of the market of the region surrounding Taiwan Strait gradually depended on home markets but not overseas. Because the ban on maritime trade was rather released after Qing Dynasty unified the south, the foreign trade in the region surrounding Taiwan Strait gradually diverted to Jiangnan and the valley of Zhujiang. The region was no longer in the lead in the word of foreign trade and the development of the market in this region gradually dropped behind Jiangnan and Guangdong.