同光之际两湖地区淮盐引地规复之争

Salt Market Grabbing during the Tongzhi and Guangxu Periods in the Qing Dynasty

自同治至光绪年间,淮盐因太平天国运动的冲击而失去了在两湖地区的大部分引地。为规复两湖引地,两江总督采取了种种措施:从重税邻私到禁止川盐入楚;从川、淮分界行销到代完川、鄂饷银;从设卡辑私到设卡缴税;从加强运销机构管理到提高淮盐质量。然而这些措施却遭到了四川总督、两湖地区督抚的联合抵制。"引地规复之争"背后折射的是地方官僚集团之间的利益之争,同时也反映了盐业从生产、分配到运销、管理最终走向市场化的历史必然性。至光绪中叶,在中央政府的催促下,淮盐盐引虽然恢复,但私盐贩运依然屡禁不止,此后也一直未能彻底解决。两淮盐场遂逐渐转向垦殖。

From the period of Tongzhi to that of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, the salt from the area of Huai lost most of its market in Hunan and Hubei under the impact of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement. In order to restore its market, the governor of Jiangsu and Jiangxi took various meas- ures, which encountered the resistance from the officers of the areas concerned. The conflicts over the salt market reflected the fight for benefits between local bureaucrats and implied the market orienta- tion of salt production and distribution.