In the late Ming Dynasty, the silk industry in Jiangsu was developed, and the first capitalist production relationship in China was funded by machine users and made great efforts. However, capitalism was limited to the silk industry, which was suppressed in the Ming Dynasty and failed to develop greatly.

The handicraft industry developed gradually in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, which was manifested in the expansion of the number and scale of handicraft workshops and family workshops, the renewal of production tools and technologies, and the increase of output. Most importantly, in the silk weaving industry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces (such as Suzhou and Songjiang), there are "machinists" who make a living by selling labor and "machinists" who make a profit by producing silk, that is, early employees and capitalists. "Machine users contribute, technicians contribute" marks the formation of capitalist employment relations, and also shows that the seeds of capitalism have emerged.