明清之际中日贸易时代背景初探

A Preliminary Study on the Historical Background of Sino-Japan Trade in Ming-qing Dynasties

鸦片战争之前的整个清前期,中日之间维持了相当规模的贸易往来,尽管这种贸易往来局限于民间,缺乏官方参与,但其能够产生并在较长时段内保持相当的规模必然有其存在的土壤即时代背景。而清代中日贸易的时代背景主要出自三方面的营造:其一是葡萄牙和荷兰殖民者对海外贸易的充分利用,尤其是其在中日贸易过程中通过居中转贩获取巨额利润的现实为当时中日两国商人从事贸易的动力和可以仿效的标尺;其二是日本官方的海外贸易政策。其政策经历了一个明显的变化,前期对贸易的鼓励态度刺激了日本对华贸易的发展,后期的锁国政策则有效的排除了葡萄牙殖民者的竞争,使得中国商人几乎处于一家独大的地位;其三是当时我国私人海外贸易经历了明代百余年的曲折发展后,已成为一只相当成熟的海上贸易力量。而这三方面共同构成了清代中日贸易复杂的时代背景。

In early Qing Dynasty before the Opium War, China maintained a sizable trade with Japan. Although limited to private sector lacking official participation, its existence last for a considerably long period with historical background. The historical background of Sino-Japan trade in Qing Dynasty consists of three aspects： First, the full utilization of overseas trade by Portuguese and Dutch colonists, especially with huge profits by mid-transaction in Sino-Japan trade forming the motivation and standard for merchants for both parties in trade; Second, Japan＇s official foreign trade policies underwent a significant change to encourage the trade stimulating the development of Japan＇s trade with China, later the isolation policies effectively excluded Portuguese colonists from the competition ranking Chinese businessmen in dominant position; Third there had experienced twists and turns the private overseas trade in China became a relatively mature maritime trade power in Ming Dynasty. The above aspects constitute the complicated historical background of Sino-Japan trade in Qing Dynasty.