物与人的互动表达——晚清民国时期的六堡茶与马来亚华人劳工群体

The Relationship of Liu-pao Tea and Chinese Malayan Laborers in the Late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China Period

晚清民国时期六堡茶在南洋的消费市场主要存在于马来亚的锡矿场之中。相较于其他行业,矿场中的华工人数众多、收入尚可,为六堡茶在马来亚的物资消费奠定基础,使其成为矿场生活的必需。六堡茶的消费不仅是华工延续迁出地的饮茶习惯,也是华工在当地解决维生素匮乏、传染病泛滥等生存困境的良方,还是华工在移民社会适应和满足身份识别需求的物质表达。在茶叶消费的过程中,茶被附着了人的意义,饮用人的身份被转接在茶的身上,六堡茶遂与劳工的身份绑定在一起被形塑为“劳工茶”。本研究将视角集中在移民社会下六堡茶与马来亚华人劳工群体的互动,观察茶被赋予人的标签的过程及其强化群体认同、彰显社会地位的过程。籍此以物作为研究人与社会的媒介和载体,从而达到“以物论人”“以物论社会”的目的。

The consumption market of Liu-pao Tea in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China period was mainly in the tin mines in Malaya.Compared with other industries,there were a large number of Chinese workers in the mine and their income was reasonable,which laid a foundation for the material consumption of Liu-pao Tea in Malaya and made it necessary for the life of the mine.The consumption of Liu-pao Tea was not only a continuation of the tea drinking habit of Chinese laborers in the places where they have moved out,but also a good solution for their living difficulties such as vitamin deficiency and epidemic diseases in the local areas.It was also a material expression for Chinese laborers to adapt to and meet the needs of identity identification in the immigrant society.In the process of tea consumption,tea was attached to the meaning of human,and the identity of the drinker was transferred to the tea.Therefore,Liu-pao Tea was bound with the identity of labor and was shaped as the“Labor Tea”.This study focuses on the interaction between Liu-pao Tea and Malayan Chinese labor group in immigrant society,and observes the process of tea being labeled as human and the process of strengthening group identity and highlighting social status.In this way,object is used as the medium and carrier to study human and society,so as to achieve the purpose of“discussing human with object”and“discussing society with object”.