近代早期白银流入对中国经济的影响

The Impact of Silver Influx on Early Modern China's Economy

在近代早期,随着美洲金银的发现和澳门对外贸易的发展,大量的白银流入中国,这些白银对16、17世纪的中国产生了多方面的积极影响,如商品经济进一步发展,赋税制度进一步变革,货币制度和国家政权更加稳定。到18世纪,白银的流入一定程度上推动了通货膨胀的产生。到19世纪时,中国对其他国家持续几个世纪的贸易顺差,使西欧国家极力寻找能卖给中国的商品,最终它们找到了鸦片,并通过鸦片战争等一系列战争和不平等条约改变了对中国的逆差,也逐渐把中国带入了屈辱的近现代。

In the early modern times, with silver discovered in America and the development of Macao＇s foreign trade, large amount of silver flowed in to China, which produced positive effect on China of 16th through 17th century in many aspects such as commodity economy further developed, taxation institution reformed, monetary system and state power stabilized. In 18th century, in some degree, the influx of silver contributed to the occurrence of inflation. In 19th century, as a result of China＇ s favorable balance of trade for successive centuries, the Western European countries tried hard to find commodities to sell to China. They finally found opium and c ＇hanged their adverse balance of trade with China through the Opium War and other wars and unequal treaties, thus gradually brought China into her modern times of humiliation.