Abstract：The large-scale extraterritorial mobility of rural labor force is the most conspicuous phenomenon in social and economic life in China since 1990's. It has been estimated that the total floating population exceeded 80 million, and 20-30 per cent of them were engaging in trade. These mobile traders have become an important motive force for construction of the market economy of China. The moving mechanism of mobile traders of China is analyzed from macro angle and micro angle in the present study. The macro-background and mechanism of rising of mobile traders are as follow s:(1) Rural economic system reform pushes forward the development of rural markets, accelerates the course of rural industrialization and commercialization, specialization and socialization of agricultural production, and speeds up the social division of labor, transfer and mobility of the surplus labor force of rural areas.(2) Urban economic system reform brings about a great advance in urban fairs and draws mo re mobile traders into the urban areas to engage in trade.(3) The uneven regional economic development provides the external conditions for the movement of traders, and the internal character in pursuit of higher profit is the immediate motive force for movement of traders. The improvement of traffic and transportation and steady decline in transport cost provide more convenient conditions for the distant mobility of traders and commodities.(4) The contradictions between rural employment structure adjustment lagging behind rural industrial structure reform, and the rigid urban-rural household registration and administration system become the deep cause of rapid increase in mobile traders. The micro-surrounding and mechanism of movement of traders of China are as follows:(1) The comparative benefit and the difference in expected income are the economic cause for movement of traders. These factors determine the mobile direction of traders and their management range, scale, modes and tactics.(2) The differences in quality of mobile traders, e. g. the differences in human resources endowment, the capability to obtain information, individual character and so on, affect the behavioral features of mobile traders.(3) The evolution from provincialism to metropolitan cultural sense is an important cultural motive force for extraterritorial mobility of traders.(4) The network of social relations guides and controls the moving behavior of mobile traders. The relation network of relatives and regionalism usually forms the territorial colony of traders with similar status, occupation, habits and customs, cultural standard, value sense and psychology.
石忆邵. 我国商人流迁机制研究[J]. 人文地理, 2002, 17(3): 69-71,62.
SHI Yi-shao. A STUDY ON THE FLOWING MECHANISM OF TRADERS OF CHINA. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, 2002, 17(3): 69-71,62.
