鸦片战争后，中国社会经济发生剧烈变动。工业（包括手工业）的地理分布及其变化，是其中的一个重要方面。它大致经历了1840－1894、1895—1913、1914－1936、1937－1949年四个阶段的发展演变。其间，中国近代工业虽然从无到有，但受历史条件的制约，其发展速度和规模都很有限，其地域分布也始终没有突破偏于沿海沿江地带的基本格局，这种状况限制了其社会影响，有碍中西部地区的经济开发和工业发展。 After the Opium War, China’s social economy changed dramatically. The geographical distribution of industries (including handicrafts) and their changes are an important aspect. It roughly experienced the development of the four stages of 1840-1894, 1895-1913, 1914-1936, and 1937-1949. In the meantime, despite the fact that China’s modern industry was built from scratch, it was constrained by historical conditions, its development speed and scale were limited, and its geographical distribution did not always break through the basic pattern of the coastal areas along the Yangtze River. This situation has restricted its society. The influence will hinder the economic development and industrial development in the central and western regions.