Analysis Of Shandong During The Ming Sea And Land Transportation Of Materials

In Chinese ancient history, there have been constant shifts in the location of the country's political, economic, and military centers, the connection between which has largely relied on transportation. Materials circulation and transportation are one of the basic economic phenomena of man in ancient China, and have been varied greatly with the diverse needs of different times and areas. In order to guarantee stability of their reign, all feudal dynasties have conveyed materials from the economic center to the political center, the military centers and other places in need by waterway and/or landway.Transportation in Shandong has a long history, spanning the millennium from the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which manifests the important role Shandong has played to the capital and the country as a whole. In the Ming Dynasty, Shandong was the pass of both inland transportation and coastal trade. Since ancient times, the conveyance of farm products and sideline products as well as cash crops has been the main content of materials circulation and transportation. Especially such materials as grain, salt and cotton, which were concerned with the economic lifeline of the feudal dynasties as well as production and life of the people, have attracted special attention of the rulers. This thesis departs from the necessity of transportation, the status of Shandong and the history of transportation.During the Ming Dynasty, Shandong boasted transportation channels such as the Shandong Canal, the Jiaolai Canal, the Daqing River, the Xiaoqing River, the major post roads and trade routes. The government has paid great attention to the Shandong Canal and the opening of the Jiaolai Canal which facilitated sea transportation. All these factors mentioned above constituted the premises of transportation of Shandong in the Ming Dynasty.The transportation of tax grain in Shandong during the Ming Dynasty mainly included transportation of land tax grain and tribute grain (caoliang), the latter being a variant form of the former that was conveyed to the capital or other designated places. Tribute grain of Shandong mainly came from the three western prefectures. The transportation of tribute grain to the designated barns has exerted deep influence upon social and economic development of Shandong. Production of sea salt in Shandong has mainly employed the technologies of frying salt and solarizing salt. The transportation and sale of salt mainly took the forms of salt monopoly (yinyan) and ticket-salt (piaoyan). The salt ticket system was supplementary to the salt monopoly system. Commercial transportation in Shandong during the Ming Dynasty included commercial transportation in transportation of tribute grain and professional commercial transportation. The principal commodities shipped in Shandong included cotton, cotton cloth, fresh and dried fruits, hence the main content of transportation in Shandong during the Ming Dynasty by waterway and landway.Materials circulation and transportation have directly impelled social and economic development of Shandong, with the western area developing more rapidly than the eastern area, which economic situation was not changed until the Qing Dynasty. Shandong was among the strongest economic provinces in the north during the Ming Dynasty though its overall economic level was no match for that of the area to the south of the Yangtze River. The economy of Shandong has very bright prospects. As long as the local governments can set down opportune economic strategies in accordance with local conditions, they can achieve rapid economic growth.