明中葉以來江南市鎮的成長趨勢與擴張性質

近十餘年來，有關江南市鎮的探索，已蔚為明清研究中的一支顯學，而相關的著作幾乎也達到罄竹難書的程度。主要根據市鎮數量的持續增長，進而斷定明清江南地區城鎮化或都市化有日益普及的趨向，幾乎是現有研究者共同的作法。然而，潛藏在數量增長背後，有許多要素可藉以更明確規範明清江南市鎮的成長趨勢與擴張性質，這部份則廣為論者所忽視，也正是本文的要點所在。本研究集中探討明清蘇、松、太地區也就是今日蘇南主要部份的市鎮發展現象。全文分六個時期，雖同樣先以學界慣採的方式，沈明清市鎮總體的變動趨勢有所探究，但由於所有出現於明清乃至於一九八○年代的市鎮，均預先標示在地圖上，此可避免重複計算，另外挾晚近得以獲見更多史料之利，明清蘇南市鎮數增長的執跡因得以更清晰的呈現。總體市鎮持續增長趨努下，同時可以發現有許多市鎮之興衰起落異常頻繁，此尤以明清後期以來益為明顯。這說明市鎮總體數量變動中，其實是舊有、新增、開除之勢互見。如果純以新興或衰亡的市鎮數互為扣抵，其變動幅度往往要遠大於市鎮總數的變動，這就透露了明清市鎮發展現象一些隱而不顯的性質。市鎮總數變動之外，任一個別市鎮隨時間的演變，也會起各種變化。本文運用各種方式就所有蘇南明清到一九八○年代所出現的市鎮，一一做分級以及分類統計的工作，結果，歸納出明清江南市鎮發展的森本屬一種廣泛性成長的性質。

關鍵字

江南；蘇南；市鎮數量；市鎮大小

並列摘要

In recent years, the Jiangnan Market towns in the Ming-Qing period have become a major topic of Ming-Qing studies. Based upon the increasing number of market towns, researchers agree that the Jiangnan region became increasingly urbanized since the mid Ming period. Examination of changes in the number of the market town, however, discloses more than the mere fact of urbanization itself. Following standard methodology, this study first demonstrates the phenomenon of urbanization in the Sunan region by using the numbers of market towns. Because the market towns in different periods were marked in maps one by one to avoid duplication, and as more source materials are available today, we can depict the trend of urbanization in the Sunan region more accurately. This study shows that, behind the ostensible urbanization there was a more complex process. While many new market towns rose up, many old ones gradually disappeared. The life-span for many of the market towns was relatively short. These features indicate the highly unstable nature of traditional market towns in the Ming-Qing period. While making use of the number of market towns to illustrate urbanization in the Jiangnan region, scholars often ignore differences among the market towns. If big and small towns are counted as equal, the total number creates an illusion about the extent of urbanization in the Ming-Qing Jiangnan region. By resolving this problem, we can see that urbanization in pre-modem Jiangnan was extensive rather than intensive.