Sung Hang-Chou : its growth and its government institutions

Abstract

Dense population, reliance on trade and communication, centrality in political organization, cultural heterogeneity, creativity and exchange: whatever one chooses as the decisive characteristic of cities, their historical role in complex settled societies has been of universal importance. In the west, the central significance of urbanism is attested by its identification with the ideas of civilization and politics. Lacking a tradition of politically independent cities, China did not make these equations. But from early times, "rustic (yeh 野)" has been an antonym of "cultured", and cities have been cultural as well as economic and political centres. Show more