Mobility in Ming China
...hat there were considerable amount of movements. Two examples of such dynamism in the Ming period that is of importance were the transmission of goods and money. The reality of village life in the early Ming period was that men and women were producing a surplus of goods and engaged in bartering what they made for what they needed. Once the Ming had restored its transportation systems commerce became more active with the increasing number of regional market and commodities traveling great distances. Hongwu recognized the economic functions of commerce in spite of his preference of an immobile self-sufficiency. He allowed merchants quite a relax hand in dealings and movements of many goods only excluding the ones that were monopolized by the state. The emperor’s main concerned was that they be registered as merchant as a form of control on mobility. However, the system for registering merchants was flawed so they got away with illegal activities such as smuggling and traveling beyond their allowed distances. Hongwu also attempted to manage the commercial economy by trying to withdraw silver from circulation and replacing them with printed paper currencies. This was also a failed attempt at control because people began to illegally mine silver and put them right back into circulation. The demand for silver and precious metal remains prevalent over paper money because the commercial community had no confidence in the paper currencies which can easily...