Geographical Study on Free Markets in China

1992年，我建立了1988年出版的《中国集市观》所列3633个市场的数据库，并用计算机进行了分析，以了解市场的特征。主要结果如下：1)传统的市场术语正在消失。2)大多数市场属于“一般市场”，一些属于“专业市场”，少数属于“整体销售市场”。3)其中40%是日常市场，其他是周期性市场。后者主要根据十天的周期举行，但有时也有十二天或七天的周期。4)市场的平均接待人数和日均销售额都相当大。5)市场的平均面积和建筑物的平均面积都很大。(六)每个市场销售的主要商品是农产品、制造业产品或两者兼而有之。7)市场主要分布在干线公路沿线，国有独资企业主要集中在水路或铁路沿线。1993年，我分析了各省的统计年鉴，以了解1980-1990年自由市场发展的大体情况和1988年自由市场的区域差异。结果如下：1)自由市场的数量和销售量逐年增加，特别是在城市地区。(2)市场销售额占零售总额的比重逐年上升。这意味着自由市场的重要性正在逐渐上升。3)市场作为易腐食品市场的特点逐年增强。(4)各省市场的区位、分布密度、销售额、占零售总额的比重、各类商品在销售额中所占的比重，因城市化程度和经济发展程度的不同，以及南北、沿海和内陆地区的物质条件不同，各省的市场区位、分布密度、销售额、占社会总销售额的比重和各类商品在销售额中所占的比重各有不同。

In 1992 I made a data base of 3,633 markets listed in 'Zhongguo-jishi-daguan' published in 1988 and analyzed it using computer in order to understand the characteristics of the markets. The main results are as follow ; 1)Traditional terminology for the markets is disappearing. 2)Most of the markets are classified as 'general market', some are as 'specialized market' and a few are as 'whole sale market'. 3)Fourty per cent of them are daily markets and others are periodic ones. The latters are held accoding to mainly ten-days cycle, but sometimes twelve-days or seven-days one. 4)Average number of attendants and average sales per day at the markets are fairly large. 5)Average area of the market place and that of the buildings are slso fairly big. 6)Main goods sold at each market are agricultural products, manufacturing products or both of them. 7)Most of the markets are located along trunk roads, and soae are along waterways or railways.In 1993 I analyzed statistical year books of all provinces in order to get general ideas of the development of the free markets between 1980 and 1990 and the areal differenciation of them in 1988. The results are as follow ; 1)Number of free markets and sales there are increasing year by year, particularly in urban area. 2)Share of sales at the markets in total retail sales is increasing year by year. It means that the free markets are gradually rising their importance. 3)The markets are strengthening their characteristics as perishable food markets year by year. 4)Location of the markets, density of their distribution, sales at them, share of the sales in total retail sales, and composition of each kind of goods in the sales vary in each province because of the differences of the degree in urbanization and economic development and the phisical conditions between northern and southern or coastal and inland regions.