盐(铁)问题的困境——思想与制度的历史考辩

The Predicament of Salt Problem

盐政制度是古代中国重要的财政制度,盐政收入是古代中国政府重要的财政来源,盐政之弊几乎贯穿了整个中国盐政史,关于盐政的批评从汉武帝以来从未停息,尽管在政治现实上政府的财政需要压倒了批评之声。中国盐政制度化于汉武帝时期,经过两汉六朝的反复,隋唐五代的探索,最终定型于宋元明清。重审中国盐政制度变迁的历程,我们很难认为制度在进步,盐政之弊始终没有得到根本解决,盐铁论终成空论。

The salt regulation is an important financial system in ancient China and the salt income is the vital financial resource of ancient Chinese government. The maladies of salt regulation nearly run through the whole history of salt regulation. The Chinese salt regulation institutionalized in Han dynasty and fell into a pattern in Song, Yuan, Miug, Qin dynasty. Re- examiug the changes of Chinese salt regulation, we can find that the malady of salt regulation have never been solved. The direct reasons causing the salt regulation problems are that the industry and commerce was not developed at that time and the government was unduly dependent on the income of salt regulation. The malady of salt regulation fundamentally lles in the salt regulation system.