Suzhou experienced a more prosperous period in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Suzhou pays grain tax to the central government, accounting for one-tenth of the country. Suzhou's land price level is also the highest in the country. Due to the development of industry and commerce, a large number of people gather in the central city, which is estimated to be above 500,000 to 1 10,000. The city block extends radially along several main navigable rivers, and the farthest distance from the city gate (Nagato) has exceeded 65,438+00 miles. The so-called "Suzhou wins with the city". In the Ming Dynasty, Suzhou Hushuguan ranked second among the eight largest banknotes in China. In the Qing Dynasty, Suzhou was one of the "Four Gatherings" in the world (the capital in the north, Foshan in the south, Suzhou in the east and Hankou in the west, the four major commercial centers in the country), and it was also called "Hua Han Kawaguchi without complexity, Guangling Mansion without complexity, and the world will be the most prosperous, except the capital Wu Xia". In fact, Suzhou has become the most developed metropolis in Southeast China, regarded as the second largest city in China after Beijing, and its prosperity has actually ranked first in the country, becoming a veritable national economic center. Suzhou in Ming and Qing Dynasties was the largest industrial and commercial city in the Eastern Hemisphere, one of the economic and cultural centers of China, and its status in the world was equivalent to that of new york today. Moreover, the urbanization trend began to appear around Suzhou, and a large number of satellite towns, comparable in scale to Fucheng County, appeared, forming Suzhou metropolitan area with the expanding Suzhou city. At this time, Suzhou, known as "a prosperous place on the sea and a beautiful place in the south of the Yangtze River", has always been commented as: "Businessmen gather, department stores gather, from Beijing to Guangdong and Guangxi, as far as the ocean, and trade ranks first in the world." She is very attractive to Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Shandong and even Northeast China. It is not only an economic and cultural center city in the south of the Yangtze River, but also a densely populated commercial metropolis and an important port for foreign trade. Due to the concentrated consumption population, Qiao Feng outside the city has formed the largest grain trading market in China. The grain supply comes from Jiangxi and Hunan in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and part of it is sold to Zhejiang and Fujian by sea. The outer ports of Suzhou are Liujiagang in Taicang in Ming Dynasty (now Liuhe in Taicang, Suzhou, connected with Suzhou through Loujiang River) and Shanghai Port in Songjiang Prefecture in Qing Dynasty (connected with Suzhou River through Wusong River).

During this period, Suzhou was one of the major cultural centers in China, and it was listed as one of the "five metropolises that literati must visit" (Beijing, Suzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Yangzhou). There were 204 national champions in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and 34 in Suzhou. Famous officials in Suzhou are a great sight. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-191year), many famous private gardens were built in Suzhou, many of which were built by retired officials who returned to Suzhou. Suzhou was highly appreciated by people at that time for its exquisite and elegant cultural style.