试论唐代船商的地域特征和经济实力

唐代内河航运发达,素有"汪河帝国"之誉.便利的水运条件带来水上商业的繁荣,船商因而得以发展壮大.就其地域而言,船商的发展是以淮河为界,北不如南,且南方船商又多以沿河城镇和江南、岭南的山地、丘陵地区为主.唐代船商按其活动范围大致可分为跨域性船商、区域性船商和地方性船商三类.跨域性船商是船商中最富有的阶层;区域性船商和地方性船商,多以城镇和草市为中心,对繁荣地方经济起着不可低估的作用.

The Geographic Distribution and Economic Strength of the Ship Merchants in Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty enjoyed great convenience in water transportation, which enabled a prosperous commerce on the river. Ship merchants had the chances to enlarge their business. Geographically, the regions south of the Huihe River enjoyed great advantages in commerce on the river. Ship merchants moved from town to town, and they went frequently to the highlands of the south. In Tang Dynasty, according to the areas the ship merchants moved around, there were cross-regional ship merchants, regional merchants and local merchants. The cross-regional ship merchants were the richest class. The regional and local ship merchants mainly did their business in towns and small markets but they had made important cont5ribution to the prosperity of the local economy.