清代台湾进贡西瓜探述

A Discussion on the Watermelon Tribute from Taiwan to the Emperors of Qing Dynasty

康熙统一台湾后,台湾物产被进贡至朝廷,其中西瓜的进贡尤具特色。西瓜等物产的进贡不仅是清廷认识台湾的一种途径,更是其对台统治与教化的政治象征。台湾进贡西瓜历经康雍乾三代,既有清代官员进贡的一般特征,也有其特殊性,如贡瓜的瓜种非台湾所产、台瓜进贡戛然停止于官员贡风最盛的乾隆朝等。探讨其特殊性或有助于丰富学界对清代进贡制度的了解。

The products from Taiwan,especially watermelon,began to be paid as a tribute to the imperial court after Kangxi unified Taiwan. The tribute of watermelon and other products is not only a way for the Qing Dynasty to understand Taiwan,but also a political symbol of its rule and enlightenment over Taiwan. In fact,the watermelon tribute has gone through three generations of Kangxi,Yongzheng and Qianlong,with both the general characteristics and particularities of the tribute paid by the officials in the Qing Dynasty. For example,the melon species for the tribute was not produced in Taiwan,and the Taiwan melon tribute stopped in the generation of Qianlong when the practice of tribute by officials was the most popular. Therefore,the paper believes that the discussion of its particularity can be helpful to our better understanding of the tribute system in the Qing Dynasty.