贡赋、市场与物质生活--试论十八世纪美洲白银输入与中国社会变迁之关系

Taxation,Market and Material Life:The Inflow of American Silver and the Social Transformation in the Eighteenth Century China

16—18世纪赋役制度的变革改变了朝廷与地方、官府与百姓的关系,使白银在国家的行政运作中占据了前所未有的重要地位,18世纪中国的国家机器和官僚体制,要依赖白银的大量输入才得以正常运作。也正因为美洲白银的流入适应了清朝赋税征收、财政运行和官僚系统运作的需要,很快进入国家的贡赋体系,并有很大一部分为国库、皇帝和权贵所囤积,因此,当时大规模的白银输入才没有引致物价的大幅上升。对于生产者来说,置身于这样的过程中,以其生产物换取白银的直接目的常常是为了缴纳贡赋,而非资本的增长。当时白银作为一种货币,是在贡赋经济的背景下流通的,在18世纪的中国没有引发明显的通货膨胀。

The series of tax reforms,notably the Single Whip Method,implemented in China from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries had transformed the relationship between the central and local authorities as well as that between the government and the people.Silver was specified as the major payment of tax,and subsequently played a prominent role in state finance and administration.In the eighteenth century China,the maintenance of the ruling machinery and bureaucratic system relied heavily on silver which laid the fiscal foundation of the Qing government.The Chinese demand of silver caused by domestic taxation reform and fiscal policies was met chronologically by the continuous supply of the metal from the New World.Understandably,silver was rapidly absorbed into the Chinese government fiscal system.But what is more noteworthy is that a considerable amount of silver stocks was accumulated not only in the government treasury,but also in the hands of Chinese emperors and the rich and powerful.As a result,the huge drain of American silver to China did not lead to inflation as expected.Likewise,silver earned by producers was mainly for paying taxes and had nothing to do with capital accumulation.Therefore,it is important to note that the role played by silver in eighteenth century China has to be evaluated against the background of the political economy of taxation and the regional differences that existed within China,and should not be interpreted according to simple rules of supply and demand.