对古代东亚朝贡体制的再思考

The Tributary System in Ancient East Asia Revisited

古代东亚朝贡体制所体现的"大一统"与"天下"观念妨碍了古代中国对外部世界的认识。这一体制或华夷秩序并不以平等为基础,也并非完全依靠和平方式建立和维持,一旦有人挑战这种秩序,朝廷不惜使用武力,这与现代国际关系理念背道而驰。朝贡体制具有相当强烈的内向性,是帝制政府彰显合法性和权威性的工具,朝廷希图彰显"万邦来朝"盛况以显示威力、渲染太平、满足虚荣心,但却严格控制海外贸易、厉行海禁,毁灭了中国海商一度取得的成就,从而使当时的中国在相当大程度上在大航海时代即将到来时却失去竞争意识和竞争能力。中国古代对外关系的一些理念和构想与实际运作中的朝贡体制之间有明显差距,不应夸大这一体制对中国今天对外关系实践与理论的借鉴意义。

The concepts of 'Da Yitong'(Grand Unification)and 'Tianxia'(All under the Heaven)embodied in the tributary system in ancient East Asia actually hindered ancient China from properly understanding the outside world.This system,or the'Hua-Yi'(Chinese-Barbarian)order,was not based on genuine equality,neither was it always established or maintained through peaceful means.The central imperial government never gave up its use or threat of force against those who challenged this order,which completely ran against the ideas of contemporary international law.The tributary system had a strong inward-looking orientation and constituted an instrument for the imperial government to showcase its legitimacy and authority.The government attempted to display power,to play up peace and stability,and to feed vanity through the pomp and circumstance of'Wan Bang Lai Chao'(tribute by ten thousand countries).Meanwhile,it also imposed strict restrictions upon overseas trade and even rigorously carried out a ban on maritime trade,which destroyed the achievements by Chinese maritime businessmen and to a great extent resulted in China's losing awareness and capacity of competition when the Age of Discovery was dawning.An obvious gap existed between the theory and practice of the tributary system,so its implications for China's contemporary foreign relations should not be overstated.