从习惯调整到国家规制:潮汕侨批中的法律文化透析

From Folk Law to State Law: Legal Culture Research on Overseas Chaozhou-Shantou Post

潮汕侨批是潮汕侨民与家人联络的家信。在其发展初期,侨批传递中的习惯规制形成了"信款一体"和"回批确认"的民间法。伴随着近代的移民潮,潮汕侨批规模也随之扩大,商人设立了批信局并组成同业公会,加强了侨批保障。清末以来,国家为了规范侨批经营,将侨批纳入了国家法律的管控之中。在潮汕侨批的发展历程中,侨批肩负着沟通家族情感、支援家族经济、维护儒家伦理的重任,家族法是潮汕侨批法律文化的根基。侨批的调整由民间法向国家法的演变,折射了中国法律近代化的轨迹。潮汕侨批档案的发掘,拓展了潮汕法律文化研究的视野。

Overseas Chaozhou-Shantou Post is a special type of mail through which the overseas ChaoShan people contacted with their family internal. At the primary stage,ChaoShan people established two types of folk law: Mail Combination with Remittance and Reply to Confirm. With modern immigration wave expansion,businessman established overseas postal agencies and guilds to strengthen the safeguards. In the end of Qing dynasty,government brought Overseas Chaozhou-Shantou Post into the State Law system so as to standardize the management. In the development of Overseas Chaozhou-Shantou Post,family law is the foundation of its legal culture,as this type of folk mail delivery takes the responsibility of maintaining the family emotional contact,supporting the family economy and protecting Confucian ethics in ChaoShan society. From folk law to state law,the transformation reflects the process of Chinese legal modernization. Moreover,the historical archives of Overseas Chaozhou-Shantou Post provide new clues for research on ChaoShan legal culture.