兴盛与衰落:明清四大名镇在近代的舛变

明清时期,随着商品经济的发展,以行政等级网络为重要特征的中国城市体系派生出一种新形式——市镇;其中,景德、朱仙、佛山、汉口四镇最具代表性和典型性,被称为天下四大镇。四大名镇可分为资源开发型、资源开发加综合发展型和商品集散地型,其兴起具有部分共同的因素。近代以后,由于中国被纳入到世界资本主义市场体系中,传统的工商市镇面临各种冲击和挑战,四大名镇中的汉口由于特殊的地理位置,成为通商口岸,现代性因素快速增长,在多种因素的推动下较为顺利地实现了向近代新型城市的转型,最终与武昌、汉阳合为一体,成为全国特大中心城市;而朱仙、景德、佛山三镇却因自身优势条件的丧失,城市功能不能适时地进行调适、转型而逐步走向衰退。四大名镇在近代的分化和不同命运,折射出城市现代化转型的曲折。

Thrive and Decline:The Comparison of the Fate of The Four Famous Towns in Modern Times

As the development of commodity economy,towns became a new form which was derived in China's urban systems during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.In these towns,Jingde,Zhuxian,Foshan and Hankou,which called the Four Famous Towns of China,had entered the prosperity of economic development.They could be considered as resource exploiture,synthesis development,and commodity distributing center.Absolutely,there were several common factors in these four towns.As the evolution of Chinese history to modern,however,on t...