早期世界博览会与清末民初商人外交的兴起

Early World Expositions and Communications of Merchants in Late Qing to Early Republican China

世界博览会(以下简称"世博会")具有外交的功能,这已是世博会主办者和参与者的共识。但是,对于世博会的具体外交功能和作用则尚少研究,至于世博会与近代中国商人外交的互动关系更是少有研究。其实,世博会,特别是1928年之前的早期世博会,大多是各类产业出品及其制造方法的展览会,尤以现代工业产品及其制造方法为主导。因此,世博会的主办者无论是政府还是民间组织,其参与者则都以工商界为主,并不断由被动参与、间接参与向主动参与、直接参与转变。与此相应,随着中国商人参与世博会程度的不断提高,其利用世博会外交功能而展开以经济外交为主的外交活动的观念和方式逐渐增强和完善起来,使世博会日益成为近代中国商人外交进步的一个重要载体和助力,并对中外经济关系的改善发挥了一定的作用。

It has been recognized that world expositions help to establish diplomatic relations,but less has been studied on how it performs such functions. Actually,most of the visitors of world expositions before 1928 were people from the commercial and industrial circles. And more and more Chinese merchants in modern China took advantage of the Expos to develop their economic relations with other countries. Therefore the Expos play an increasingly important role in promoting the diplomatic progress of Chinese merchants and contribute to the improvement of the Sino-foreign diplomatic and economic relations.