英国对华外交中的觐见问题——礼仪与利益的合体

The Audience Issue in Britain's Diplomacy with China——A Combination of Etiquette and Interests

1873年6月29日,日本大使和西方五国驻华公使(英、法、俄、美、荷)以躬身之礼觐见清同治帝。该事件宣告外国使节觐见中国皇帝时行"叩头"之礼开始走进历史,西方国家在外交礼仪层面对古老中国的"强制性改造"取得一个标志性成果。作为当事国之一的英国,从1793年马戛尔尼觐见乾隆帝,到1873年威妥玛觐见同治帝,觐见问题由一个寻求贸易便利外交机会演变成在"合作政策"掩护下企图引导清政府外交政策的工具。英国在觐见问题上的外交策略一方面反映英国政界对中国问题认识的深入过程,另一方面则展现出英国外交官在中国社会半殖民地化过程中利用觐见问题为其本国利益服务的外交尝试。

On June 29, 1873, the ambassador of Japan and the ministers of the five Western countries in China bowed to Emperor Tongzhi. The event proclaimed that the'kowtowing'etiquettebecame a history when foreign envoys met the Chinese emperor. [The Qing dynasty remained in traditional tributary relations with neighboring countries such as North Korea for some time after1873, so the'kowtowing'etiquette was not completely terminated. ] The Western countries made a landmark achievement on'coercive reform'for ancient China's diplomatic etiquette. As one of the members of the event, the UK, from Macartney's audience with Emperor Qianlong in 1793 to Wade's audience with Emperor Tongzhi in1873, turned the audience issue from seeking a diplomatic opportunity of trade facilitation to exerting influence on Qing government's foreign policyunder the cover of'cooperation policy'. British tactics on the audience issue, on the one hand, reflected their gradual perception of China's issues and on the other hand, showed British diplomats seeking their national interests by using the audience issue during China's semi-colonial process.