伯驾1856年对华修约失败及其原因

The Failure of Peter Parker’s Mission of Revising the Treaty With China in 1856 and its Causes

在整个19世纪中美关系中,传教士始终扮演着极其重要的角色。1855年8月,美国首位来华医学传教士伯驾出任驻华公使,被委以全权对华交涉修改《望厦条约》之重任。美国政府非常重视此次修约之事,对伯驾寄予厚望。然而,清政府极力阻遏,尤其是伯驾采取一些不切实际的行动,终致修约失败。

In the entire Sino-US relationship of the 19th century, missionaries played an extremely important role. In August, 1855, the first American medical missionary Peter Parker was appointed as an envoy to China and was entrusted the full responsibility of revising the Wangxia Treaty. The American government attached great importance to this mission and placed high hope on Parker. Nevertheless, due to the holding back of the Qing government and especially the unrealistic actions of Peter Parker, the mission ended in failure.