It was called Xunxi in the 9th century; founded in the 13th century, the town turned into an important distributing center of farm and sideline products due to convenient transportation by water. During the 16?19th centuries, as the seeds of capitalism emerged firstly in the regions south of the Yangtze River, the silkworm?raising and silk reeling industries were flourishing; the market was formed for raw silk trade; commodity economy was developed rapidly; and many merchants gathered in Nanxun, which became a powerful town in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

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