晚清广东地方督抚对外交涉权限演变探析

Evolution of the authority over international negotiations by the governors of Guangdong in the late Qing dynasty

晚清时期,因清廷始终奉行"外交在外"的政策,地方督抚被赋予了越来越多的对外交涉权限。广东作为清朝对外交往的重要窗口,其地方督抚在处理对外交涉事务方面发挥着关键作用,并在清朝外交体制中扮演越来越重要的角色。本文将选取广东地方督抚这一典型,通过梳理两广总督及广东巡抚不断扩大的外交权限:监管口岸通商、处理通商案件、处理教案、订约、换约、租借交涉、华工交涉、筹议设领事、边界会勘、司法交涉及矿务、铁路等诸多方面,指出晚清时期广东督抚交涉权限的演变特点,分析产生这种权限扩大和权力下移的深层原因,即是传统观念及制度的影响、西方列强的入侵致外交事务纷繁及督抚个人才干等因素综合作用的结果,进而总结督抚权限的演变为清廷中央政权的统治所带来的利与弊双重的影响。

In the late Qing period,the local governors were given more and more authority over in-ternational negotiations,because the Central Government was always implementing the policy of “di-plomacy at the local level”.Because Guangdong was an important window to foreign exchanges,its governors played a key role in foreign affairs as well as in other diplomatic affairs.This paper gives a case study of the governors of Guangdong （called Zongdu in charge of the affairs in Guangdong and Guangxi or Xunfu in charge of the affairs in Guangdong）and their authority over foreign affairs,in-cluding the supervision over trading ports,contracts and leases,the handling of import and export ca-ses and missionary cases,labor negotiations,negotiations for the establishment of the consulate,bor-der investigations,judicial negotiations,mining affairs,railway construction,etc..The paper discus-ses the evolutionary characteristics of the governors’authority over the international negotiations, and then analyzes the root causes of the extension of such power,especially the downward extension of such power,which were related to numerous factors like the influence of the traditional ideas and systems,the complicated foreign affairs induced by the invasion of Western powers and the personal ability of the local governors.The paper finally summarizes the positive and negative impacts of the changes in the governors’authority over the international negotiations on the administration of the Qing Imperial Court.