A Study On The Form Of Towns In Jinzhong Area During The Ming And Qing Dynasties

From a general aspect, traditional city forms varied distinctly from one to another in consideration of differences in time, space and environment. Even though traditional city forms were under the impacts of multiple facts, it is clear that specific social and geographical environments shaped city forms in different ways if there was discrepancy in time and space. Traditional city forms in the middle Shanxi area, during Ming and Qing dynasties, were mainly consisted of city wall, affiliated landscapes and internal spatial construction of city. Meanwhile, these components were linked to environmental conditions variously. City wall building of traditional city was urged by diverse intentions, such as military defense, population settlement, living conditions’ amelioration, and protection from natural disasters. Furthermore, city wall shaped differently from time to time, from space to space, because it was influenced by politics, economics, wars, and the level of city construction, historical traditions and even geography. City walls of middle Shanxi area were widely built in Ming dynasty, and they got further developed in Qing dynasty. Economic development and population expansion were significant reasons why cities were built and repaired in Qing dynasty. During Ming and Qing dynasties, the rapid economic development in middle Shanxi also put crucial influence on city’s internal spatial structures. In specific, facilities as government offices, temples, schools, asylums and markets had become key components within city, and therefore led to a market-directed feature of city space. In addition, the development of commodity economy and the rise of Shanxi merchants were seen as the most significant societal changes of middle Shanxi in Ming and Qing dynasty. The prospering commercials and markets influenced the city forms in middle Shanxi greatly, and resulted in distinctive regional features. Following the rapid pace of economy, markets started to expand to settlements near city walls, where traffics were in convenience, and these settlements, which were called "Guanxiang", gradually developed into new commercial centers outside cities. By examining chorography of middle Shanxi in Ming and Qing dynasty, combined with field surveys, it is obvious to see that commodity economy and commercial market’s development were the major facts that impacted on the changes of city forms in middle Shanxi. Moreover, under the special characteristics of middle Shanxi’s geographical environment, city forms had been constructed and reconstructed along with the changes of city walls and cities’ internal spatial structures.