从垄断到竞争:近代藏区边茶贸易市场体系变迁研究

From Monopoly to Competition: A Study on the Transition of the Trade Market Systems of the Sichuan Brick Tea in the Tibetan Area in Modern China

汉、藏间边茶贸易历史悠久。早在唐、宋时期,藏区和内地之间就结成了以茶马互市为中心的经济交往;明、清时期,茶马贸易获得进一步发展,并形成了以"引岸制度"为主要特征的边茶贸易市场体系,边茶贸易因而成为汉、藏间的联系纽带和最重要的商品交换方式。历朝中央政权通过这种边茶垄断贸易达到羁縻边疆少数民族,进而有效管理边疆地区的目的。然而,近代以来随着世界范围内资本主义的发展,印茶和滇茶业异军突起并开始冲击边茶的固有市场,曾经为边茶所独占的藏区茶叶垄断市场日渐分崩瓦解,并最终形成了边茶、印茶及滇茶三方自由竞争的市场格局。

The trade of the brick tea had a long history between Han and Tibet. During the Tang and Song dynasty, the economic interaction between the Tibet area and inland came into being based on the tea-horse trade;During the Ming and Qing dynasty, the tea dealer monopoly system came into being finally. The trade of the brick tea became the link and was the most important commodities exchange between Han and Tibet. The central government in every dynasty effectively controlled the border area by monopolizing the trade of the Sichuan brick tea. However,in modern times, with the capitalist development all over the world,the tea made in India and the tea made in Yunnan province began to have access to the mass inherent markets of Sichuan brick tea during the late Qing Dynasty. And this led to the total collapse of the traditional trade system of tea in Tebet area. The tea market in Tibet area finally step into a period of fully competitive market among the Sichuan brick tea, the tea made in India and the tea made in Yunnan province.