论清代有关乾隆朝英使觐见礼的记述变化

On The Different Records about Rituals in The Macartney's Embassy to The Qing Court of Qianlong's Regime

关于乾隆五十八年马嘎尔尼使团觐见礼一事,历来众说纷纭,不仅中英双方当事人记载不同,清代有关此事的记述前后也发生明显变化,乾隆时期的官方记述含意模糊。嘉庆时期则在官方记述中提出"恪恭成礼"说,构建英使团以三跪九叩之礼觐见的清晰表达,此说成为后世的主流观点。同光时期,马嘎尔尼使团觐见时行西式礼仪的记述相继现于报纸奏折,并被广泛征引。其后,三种记述及其观点并行不悖,影响深远。清人对乾隆年英使觐见礼仪的认识转变是与清代中西关系的发展息息相关的。

The debates remain about the rituals in the Macartney’s embassy to the Qing Court in the 58th year of Emperor Qianlong’s period.As for the event,the two nations record differently,and the Qing documents of different periods are not consistent.The Qianlong’s(乾隆)administration does not give a detailed account of the diplomatic mission but in the Jiaqing’s(嘉庆)official documents the Chinese expression of‘恪恭成礼’(Kègōng Chénglǐ)is printed to describe the British envoys thrice kneeling and nine times bowing scrupulously and respectfully before Emperor Qianlong,and the latter is widely believed as the truth by later generations.However,during Emperors Tongzhi’s(同治)and Guangxu’s(光绪)periods,the records about Macartney’s mission presenting themselves before Emperor Qianlong with the western etiquettes are read successively in both the newspapers and the memorials to the throne,and quoted broadly.It is studied in this essay that all the records and the stands for each are actually compatible and meaningful.The Qing people changed their attitudes towards the way that the British diplomatic mission met with the Chinese emperor owing to the SinoWestern relationship development in the Qing era.