拒请与申入:近代中国与万国电报公会

Rejection and Application: The Relations between Modern China and the International Telegram Union

近代中国与万国电报公会之关系,经历了一个从拒请到申入的嬗变过程。19世纪七八十年代,面对西国的多次请入,清政府皆予拒绝;20世纪初年,清政府再受西国敦请时,态度开始发生变化,虽仍未加入,但已作入会打算;入民国后,交通部则积极谋划,终使中国于1921年初加入这一重要国际组织。上述情况既是近代中国电报事业逐步发展之结果,同时亦是近代国人"世界"观念渐次演进之产物,由此提示出"过渡时代"中国社会的众多面相。

The relations between modern China and the International Telegram Union experienced a process from rejection of the invitation to application for the membership.The Western countries persuaded China to join the International Telegram Union many times in the 1970s-80s but had been rejected by the Qing government all the way.At the beginning of the 20th Century,the Qing government started to change its attitude and was ready to accept it when receiving the invitation again from the Western countries,although this was not done finally.During the Republic of China,the Ministry of Communications planned for the membership positively and brought China into the important international organization at the beginning of 1921.The change was not only the result of the gradual development of the telegram enterprise of modern China but the result of the evolution of Chinese people＇s ＂the world＂ idea,and it showed numerous facts of Chinese Society in its ＂transitional time.＂