明中叶以后,由于封建经济的不断发展,农业、手工业、商业都达到了较高的水平,一些地区,在封建社会内部的商品经济中,已孕育了资本主义萌芽。同时由于城市商业繁荣,明代的商人及商业资本亦较前更为活跃,各地方都出现了不少的大商人及商人集团。但是这种现象大多集中在江南一些地区,北方尤其是北直隶地区的大商人或商人集团,毕竟数量不多。造成这种现象的原因很多,其中的一个原因,乃是明朝中叶以后,国家、皇室及勋戚开设店铺,侵夺商人利益,阻碍了北方商人及商业资本的发展。 Since the middle of Ming Dynasty, due to the continuous development of the feudal economy, agriculture, handicrafts and commerce have reached a relatively high level. In some areas, the capitalist sprouting has emerged in the commodity economy within the feudal society. In the meantime, due to the commercial prosperity of the city, merchants and commercial capital in the Ming Dynasty were also more active than before. Many large merchant groups and businessmen appeared in various places. However, most of these phenomena are concentrated in some areas in the southern part of the country. In the northern part of the country, large groups of businessmen or businessmen in the northern Zhili region are not many in number. There are many reasons for this phenomenon. One reason for this is that after the middle Ming dynasty, the opening of shops by state, royal family and hsunters invaded the interests of businessmen and hindered the development of businessmen and commercial capital in the north.