明清地方与国家视域中的“海洋”

“Oceans”from Local and State's Perspectives in Ming and Qing Dynasty

在古代中国历史上,"海洋"抑或海上活动在国家与地方社会的视域内从未一致过,尽管其紧张关系中也存在着妥协和平衡。明清时代,内陆立国的帝制政权出于防卫、社会安全和结构、体制稳定的需要,在海洋政策上采取了保守的国策,但于具体战略上却多有变更,并且时而出现松弛和失控的情形,从而与源于经济、市场动因的地方要求出现了错综复杂的博弈关系,这种紧张在江南等东南沿海地区表现得特别显著。明中期的倭患突现了明初海禁政策的痼疾,而明后期的弛禁甚乃放任主义主要是迫于来自地方利益的顽韧要求,于是与地方出现了某种调试和交集,从而有利于中国尤其是东南沿海的经济楔入开始连为一体的世界市场链条。但清代强有力的国家控制,在强化法定海上贸易与沿海、近海生产、航行活动的范畴内,有效地限制了"海洋"的空间,达到了内陆帝国思维内最为理想的格局,但却由于外部世界的骤变,也即近代世界资本主义的全球性扩张和占领,终于在19世纪中叶开始了包括海洋政策在内的帝国体系的崩溃。

In imperial China, there is conciliation and balancing in the tension between local and state＇s perspectives over ocean or maritime activities. During the Ming and Qing period, the continent-based imperial state in general conducts a conservative policy in view of its defensive and security purpose to stabilize its social constitutions and political structure, despite opportunistic varieties in strategy over time, as well as the situations which are sometimes loosened and uncontrolled. This causes complicated competitive gambling between the state and local request due to economic or marketing initiatives. While the mid-Ming piracy crisis reflects the pathogen of the early Ming ban policy of maritime trade, and the late Ming ambiguous and laissez-faire standpoint is urged by coercive local demands, thereby leading to its certain mixture with local society, which facilitates China＇ s, especially its southeastern coast＇s economic integration into the forming world marketing chain. However, the subsequent Qing Dynasty＇s state control effectively restricts the spectrum of the ocean in terms of legalized maritime trade and coastal industry and navigation. This reaches an ideal finale for a continual empire. Unfortunately this situation does not last forever as great changes from without, i.e. modern world capitalism＇s global expansion and occupation, resulting in the breakdown of the Chinese imperial system, starting from the mid-nineteenth century, including its maritime policy.