Rising gradually in modern major cities in northwestern China is an aggregation of modern industries based on peculiar local advantageous resources or serving local market, which is regarded as a remarkable indication of transformation of selffunctions of these cities. Changes in the cities in northwestern China, structure of urban (market) commodity and urban supply capacity are closely associated with changes in structure of regional industries. However, the shaping and development of aggregated regions of modern industries are mainly based on basic facilities, capacity of capital supply and productive technology of their own and the prominence of evolution of administration and systems. This shows not only that the transformation of urban functions acts as the principal contents and features of changes in commodity market and economic development in modern Northwest but also that the cities in this part of China have become capable of playing a leading role in development of regional economy and changes in commodity market. As postdeveloping areas in modern China, the northwestern cities never lack internal motivation for changes in commodity market and development of regional economy. Thus those former studies are believed to have been overgeneral and purely theoretical.

Northwest cities; urban function; development of regional economy; Northwest business path; postdeveloping area