清代东北地区的土地开发与城镇体系演变是两个互相促进、互相作用的过程,东北地区州、道、府、县等各级民事行政管理机构是为了管理从事农业开发的汉民而设立的。从城镇体系演变及城镇密度空间变化过程来看清代东北的土地开发,得出结论:清代东北地区城镇体系的发展可区分出4次城镇设置的增长时期;清代城镇体系在空间上呈现出从南向北、从中间向东西两侧的阶段性扩张的特点。与此相对应,清代东北土地开发也经历了几次规模较大的浪潮并发生了垦殖界线的北移;重点开垦区域是沿今沈阳-吉林、长春-哈尔滨一线不断往北的,且自该线往东西两边扩展,体现出自然区位条件、地形因素及政策等对土地开发的限制和影响。

The development of town system may be used to indicate the land exploitation in the Northeast China during the Qing Dynasty because the towns were set to be the location of the administrations such as counties, districts, or provinces that managed the farmers who exploited the land.There were four phases in the course of town system development during the Qing Dynasty when the towns were set quickly in the Northeast China, which indicated there were four times tidal waves of land exploitation.The town system expended spatially from the south to the north, and from the middle part along the Shenyang-Jilin, Changchun Harbin to the east and the west parts of the Northeast China, corresponding to the four fast increased phases in town numbers, which indicated the exploited area jumpingly extended from the south to the north.And the land exploitation in the Northeast China Plain was earlier than other sides, which is similar to the evolvement of town system.It shows that the land exploitation is limited and affected by natural area’s conditions, landform and policy.