“驰驱臣分敢言劳,事济功成皆国庆”——清代越南入华使臣的考察

Of Personal Obligation,of National Interests:A Study of Vietnamese Envoys to China in Qing Dynasty

清代中越宗藩关系确立以后,越南遣使如清便成常例。在长达200余年的对清朝贡的实际运作中,基于燕行使臣在维系中越邦交关系中的特殊作用,所以历代越南王朝都极为重视如清使臣的选拔。每届使部的遴选,成为其国家政治生活中的一件大事,所有人选均须经过才识与言辞的严格考量,其最终的入选者亦必然是同时兼备老道的外交技巧和深厚儒学修养的越南国家精英,堪称一时极选。而作为如清朝贡的践行者,燕台专对的越南使臣无疑直接关涉两国关系的大局,为保障中越宗藩秩序的正常运转,越南王朝也在其使臣燕行往返的朝贡实践中,形成了一套系统规范的选拔和管理制度。

After the establishment of the Qing suzerainty over Vietnam, the appointment of a Vietnamese emissary to the Qing Empire became a common practice. Considering the special role played by the incumbent in maintaining the diplomatic ties between China and Vietnam, the Vietnamese dynasty attached great importance to the selection of the envoys who paid tribute to the Qing emperors for over 200 years. The selection of each envoy had become a major event in Vietnamese political life. All candidates were subject to strict assessment of their ability and rhetorical skills. The final candidates were Vietnamese national elites who had both sophisticated diplomatic skills and good Confucian education. As the implementers of tributary obligations to the Qing dynasty, the Vietnamese envoys who carried out diplomatic activities in Beijing were directly concerned with the overall relationship between the two countries. In order to ensure the normal operation of the suzerain-vassal order between China and Vietnam, the Vietnamese dynasty established a scientific and formal selection and management process.