Ancient China's economy in the world economy

(1) Ancient China was the core area of the East Asian continent, the economy and culture have long been in the leading position in the world, and have a radiant influence on the neighboring regions, including East Asia and Southeast Asia. Understand the two phases of ancient China's economy in the development of the world's economy, using the Great Geographical Discovery as a boundary.

(2) In comparison with other regions of ancient civilization, Ancient China possessed several core economic zones at the same time, and this core area was vast and constantly expanding. The earliest was in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, and during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods it began to expand into the Yangtze River Basin, linking up with the neighboring regions, and continued to expand into the southeastern coastal area and the Pearl River Basin, forming the world's largest agriculture-based economic zone, and also the core area of the East Asian continent, with a long history of world-leading economy and culture, and with a radiant influence on the neighboring regions, including East Asia and Southeast Asia. The nomadic economy, primitive agricultural economy and even the economy of gathering, fishing and hunting in the neighboring areas complemented the agrarian and handicraft economy of the core area. The economy within this region is very self-sufficient, while trade is complementary, and basic needs can be met within the region. The long-distance trade to the West and the South was mainly exported silk and later tea and porcelain, and imported treasures and medicines, most of which were luxury goods at that time. This trade in luxury goods was famous in history, but it did not account for a large share of the overall economic trade in East Asia and its influence was limited. During this period from Han to Tang, foreign trade was mainly carried out through the northwestern land route, i.e. the famous "Silk Road", as well as the northeastern land route and the coastal ports in the northern part of the Maritime Silk Road. After the middle of the Tang Dynasty, silk, porcelain, tea and daily necessities to join the ranks of long-distance transportation, changing the bulk commodity structure and commodity types, and promote the further development of foreign economic.

(3) Ancient China is the world's longest continuation, always maintain the civilization of the country. Although the formation of the ancient Chinese state was later than that of the ancient states in the Nile Valley, the Two Rivers Basin, the Indus Valley, and the Middle East, those ancient states did not continue, and the nation and civilization were interrupted for various reasons. And later formed across the intercontinental empire, such as the Persian Empire, the Macedonian Empire, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Arab Empire, etc., due to the core area are relatively small, but also does not have the support of the vast economic core area, these had been prominent for a while the big empire has not escaped the destiny of the disintegration. The only major country in the world that has lasted the longest and has always maintained its civilization is China. As the core region of East Asia, China has long been at the advanced level of the world's economy and culture, and has interacted and traded culturally with other great powers and civilized regions. China's Sui and Tang dynasties and Yuan dynasties are world empires, with vast territories, strong national power, high civilization, economic prosperity, large population growth, and large cities with populations of up to millions of people, making them the most influential and exemplary countries in the East Asian region, which led to the formation of the East Asian Cultural Sphere. Vast expanse, many ethnic groups, a long history, so that the ancient Chinese economic development both deep precipitation, but also has a greater room for maneuver and mutual reflection of the coexistence of a variety of economic forms. China's ancient social and economic development level to the early Qing Dynasty, has been in the world's leading position. China's traditional level of intensive agricultural cultivation, handicrafts, commerce and urban development could not be compared with that of other countries of the same period, and the four great inventions of ancient China had a profound impact on the course of world history. The economic system of the ancient Chinese dynasties was also the most complete in the world at that time. In its economic and cultural interactions with other countries and peoples of the world, China has blended and absorbed. Although there were twists and turns and ups and downs in the socio-economic development of ancient China, it always had the vitality to keep moving forward in the process of constantly and locally adjusting the relations of production and developing the productive forces.

In fact, Zheng He's seven trips to the West demonstrated the shipbuilding technology, the scale of navigation, showing the strong economic power China possessed at that time, the center of the world's economy is still in Asia, and China continues to occupy a dominant position in Asia and the world's economic system. Until around the time of the Opium War (mid-19th century), China was still in a dominant position in the world economy by virtue of the export of silk and porcelain, and always maintained a surplus in foreign exports. Ming and Qing dynasties arable land area, total food production, the number of people are growing, the development of private handicrafts is remarkable, the variety of commodities increased, the total volume of commodities increased significantly, the industrial and commercial towns and cities prospered, the development of the domestic market is more mature, foreign trade and economic exchanges are also more expanding and more frequent, so some scholars believe that the overall level of socio-economic development than the previous dynasties, the pre-Qing period, the emergence of the Chinese socio-economic development of the The new peak of China's socio-economic development in the early Qing Dynasty.