From Free-tax Market To Non-treaty Port

The research on the history of Zhoucun in Shandong province, have achieved some positive results. But few of them combined economic history and social history closely. Especially the results of socio-economic history in the Zhoucun from rise to down of economy are not yet out now. This paper seeks to do these efforts in adding the economic history into the development of their social history; studying the changes of traditional and contemporary history; stating that the history of Zhoucun is a continuous history.From Ming Dynasty, agricultural economy and handicrafts economic specialization and commercialization become outset of Zhoucun's economic environment. To the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, economy of Zhoucun begun grown fast. There were several factors : coherent of socio-economic development; the east-west road of Shandong came across Zhoucun; Zhoucun is the center of the other counties around which as a production base for raw materials and handicraft products to the market and distribution. Gentry Li Huasi created a fair and just collected tax-free market. Thus, to the period of Qian-Jia, the economy of Zhoucun was already quite prosperous.Social changes are always associated with the development of economy. First, with the development of economy of Zhoucun, and the growth of businessmen groups, they began to cooperate with the local gentries and actively participate in social and public affairs. Secondly, the development of economy has also brought in the increased mobility of the population and the effects of traditional culture which changed the social mores of Zhoucun and led the local rural economic development. Conversely, changes in society also counterproductive to economic development. The social environment that adapted to the development of economy promoted the further economic development in Zhoucun.Since the Non-Treaty port, Zhoucun achieved its economic development peak. The Chamber of Commerce and the Trade & Handicrafts Association which based on the old Commercial guilds, inherited the traditional cooperation of the businessmen, in socio-economic affairs of Zhoucun. The behavior of chambers in Huguojun incident in 1916 was an appropriate case.From "Free-tax market" to "Non-treaty port", the traditional and the modern town Zhoucun linked in the economic development. The concrete manifest in those: the development of modern chambers is another form of traditional development of firm; Autonomy of modern chambers is the inheritance and development of cooperation modes of officials, Gentry and businessman; As a Non-treaty port, Zhoucun since its opening two more than a century to the socio-economic development of domestic demand, rather than unilateral government's economic policy.