北宋商品經濟的發達，表現在城市、鎮市、草市與集市等不同形貌的商業活動上。商業繁榮的城市，如都城汴京、西南地區重要大城成都府、東南第一大州杭州與浙西重要商業城市蘇州，以及西南第二大城興元府、運河治岸的揚州、壽州與沿江的江寧府、江陵府、鄂州等，皆可由各城市數額不等的商稅收入，觀察其不同程度的貿易盛況。北宋時期，除了國內工商業蓬勃發展的社會背景之外，時人對海洋地理知識的增長、指南針的廣泛應用於航海上以及造船技術的精進，提高海上航運的安全性，都是當時擴展海外貿易的有利條件。政府先後在具有商業機能的廣州、杭州、明州、密州等對外貿易港市設立市舶司，統籌掌理商舶進出港口業務與進口貨物稅的抽解。上述治海商埠是中國與南洋諸國及東北亞的日本、高麗往來貿易的港市，也是華洋進出口貨物販易的集散地。至於鎮市，則是縣以下的行政建制。鎮市的貿易活動所以欣欣向榮，是建立在商業繁盛、坊市制度取消以及市場開放的基礎上。新興的商業鎮市，大多分布於水陸交通要道及沿海口岸，如江陵府的沙市鎮、潭州的橋口鎮、密州的板橋鎮、秀州的青龍鎮等；此外，亦有由草市、莊市、墟市、村市以及津渡、步頭、驛站、鹽鐵冶場務擴展而成。草市與集市的規模小於鎮市，草市大多設於城外人煙蒼聚地區，有來自各地的商賈長途販運雜貨及日用商品；至於定期集市的貿易活動，常隨著市場需求量及開市日期的差別而有不同的名稱，有稱墟市、痎市、子午會等。廟市則是各類集市中較為特殊的貿易方式，一般是在聖誕慶典、壇醮齋戒等宗教活動舉行之時，所發揮的聚眾功能而形成商販雲集銷售百貨的場所。

The prosperity of the commodity economics at The Northern Sung Dynasty was expressed in different types of commercial activities in the city market, town market, country market and periodic market, etc. A city that has prosperous business such as capital Bianjing, the important big city at southwest China-Chengdu Prefecture, the biggest city at southeast China-Hangzhou, the important business city at west Zhejiang-Suzhou, and the second big city at southwest-Xingyuan Prefecture, the city along the Grand Canal of China-Yangzhou and Shouzhou, as well as the city along the Yangtze River-Jiangning Prefecture, Jinglin Prefecture and Ehzhou, etc., could have been observed different degrees of vigorous trading from different amount of business tax incomes levied from those cities. During the period of The Northern Sung Dynasty, in addition to the prosperous developing social background at home, the increased knowledge on ocean and geography, the wide application of compass, the improvement on navigation and boat building technique, and the upgraded safety on sea transportation had been the advantageous conditions provided to expand the overseas trading. The government had set up the Customs Departments at Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Mingzhou and Mizhou, etc., overseas trading harbor cities earlier or later to be in charge of the business for the commercial ships in and out of the harbor, and to levy the tax for the imported goods. Above mentioned coastal harbors were the harbor cities among China and South Seas countries, as well as Japan and Korea two countries at northeast Asia. They were also the commercial ports for the sales of the imported and exported goods via the sea way. As to the town market, they are the administrative bodies built up under the county management. The reason the trading activity was flourishing at the town market was because of and based on the business prosperity, the cancellation of the shops system, and the opened market. The newly etab1ished business town markets were mostly scattered at the important spots of water or land transportation and the harbors along the coast. For example: the Shashi Town of Jianglin Prefecture, the Qiaokou Town of Tanzhou, the Banqiao Town of Mingzhou, the Qinglong Town of Xiuzhou, etc. In addition, there were further developed country market, farming marker, periodic market, village market, and the ferry, riverbank, courier station, salt and metal plants. The country market and periodic market were smaller than town market. The country market usually set up outside the city where the people convened. There were businessmen from far and different places sold sundries and daily consuming products. As for the trading activities at the periodic market, it had different names according to the market demand and the date of the market. It could be called the periodic market, even days market, meridian meeting, etc. The temple fair is a much peculiar trading method among all kinds of market activities. It is a place where peddlers come together to sell all kinds of goods developed and formed from the mob convening function, when people usually gathered during the celebration for the birth of the gods or when the religious service was performed.