天朝意识与明清中国的朝贡外交

The Self-image of Tianchao and the Tributary System in the Ming and Qing Dynasty

观念影响了明清时期的中国外交决策。明清中国通过朝贡体制来处理对外关系。朝贡体制的核心是不平等的等级关系,中国自视为天朝,是天下的共主,不承认存在与自己对等的势力,维持天朝的体面成为明清朝贡体制的底线。天朝意识限制了明清中国的外交选择,其中最重要的就是屏蔽了平等议和的可能性,由此深刻地影响了一些重大的外交决策。通过分析明代的和议、晚清与西方列强的交往可以发现,即使出现了势均力敌乃至比自己更为强大的外部势力,明清中国也拒绝放弃天朝的自我想象,极难接受对等的外交。天朝意识妨碍了冷静的战略思考与明智的外交决策,使中国陷入进退失据的境地。从结果上看,对于天朝地位与朝贡等级秩序的坚持损害了明清中国的安全与利益。

Ideas mattered in China's diplomatic decision-making during the Ming and Qing period.The Ming and Qing dealt with diplomatic affairs through the tributary system.The core of the tributary system was its asymmetrical and hierarchical relationship.China held the self-image of Tianchao,and the Chinese emperor claimed suzerainty over the whole world.Thus it had become the bottom line for the tributary system to maintain the trappings of Tianchao.The self-image of Tianchao limited the diplomatic choices for the Ming and Qing dyansties,the most important of which was that it ruled out the possibility of peace on an equal footing.In the cases of Ming's peace talks and later Qing's dealing with Western powers,China,even in the face of equally or more powerful forces,still refused to give up on the Tianchaoillusion and rejected diplomatic equality.The Tianchao image hampered cool-headed strategy thinking or wise pragmatic decision-making and put China between a rock and a hard place.Consequently,the obsession with Tianchao status and tributary hierarchy had undermined the security and interests of China.