权衡与平衡:清末驿弊与改革方案的选择

Weighing and balancing:Drawbacks and reform of the postal system in the late Qing Dynasty

晚清戊戌至庚子年间,正值清廷政局动荡、人心思变之际,肩负朝廷文书往来职责的驿递系统积弊甚重,而裕国便民的新式邮政体系统合官民邮递职能的呼声日高。朝野之间,关于裁驿置邮的议论及方案亦各有不同,其中不仅是邮递功能或方式的转变,更是在清末官制改革的大背景下,建立有效的管邮机构和统一邮权的尝试。所以清末的裁驿置邮不仅涉及制度变化,背后更有观念、人事的多种纠缠,最终邮传部的建立与初衷方案的差异,也反映出清末制度转型中的艰难与意义。

From 1898 to 1901, it was the time of political instability and people wanted to change. While the traditional postal system which took the duties of delivering government documents accumulated a lot of problems, a new modern postal system that may benefit both the country and common people was increasingly expected to com- bine official and civil postal functions. Different discussions and reform plans arose, which was not just about the change of the postal functions and methods, but also an attempt of establishing an effective postal management sys- tem and integrating postal rights in the context of official system reform in that period. It not only concerned the changes of the postal system, but also various contradictions of the concepts and personnel systems. The difference of the finally established and significances in the Ministry of Postal Delivery from the original plan was also an evidence of the difficulties system transformation in the late Qing Dynasty