Recent changes of trading system through markets in China.

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Development of markets in China has continued from 1979 at least until the middle of 1990's. The total number of markets exceeded that before the socialist revolution, and the sale at the markets accounted for more than half of retail trade sale. Some noteworthy changes however have appeared since middle of 1990's. These are, the decrease in number of rural markets, that in total number of markets since 1998, the stagnation of sale at the markets, and the fall of weight of market trade among retail trade sale. The phase seemed to start in which the markets have to lose their high status. The author investigated what kind of factors brought on such loss of the status, and what kind of results will be brought on the structure of urban and rural areas.The fallowing points are identified by the analysis of official statistics and the fieldworks at four research areas in three years. First, the decrease in number of markets was brought on by the abolition of street markets because of transp … More ortation problems and the change to permanent shops from market stalls through "from street to building" policy. Secondly, the stagnation of market sale and the fall of their weight among retail trade sale were caused by the decrease in number of markets, the increase impermanent shops, the recent emergence of large- and small-size supermarkets in urban and rural areas, and the change in consumer behaviors connecting with these phenomena. The collection of markets as a whole seems to be under the process of polarization and specialization. The biggest class of the markets ; so called "the commodity exchange market of transaction value over 100 million yuan" has also been specialized and become bigger in recent years. Severe competition, polarization and specialization were identified from the research works of vegetable wholesale markets in two metropolises ; Xian and Zhengzhou. The motorization in broad sense, that is, spread of bus service and diffusion of motorbikes and cars, may have weeded out the lower order markets. The author however could not identify such a case through his fieldwork. This is the theme to be made clear in near future. Less