上海租界早期租地实践与制度变迁:兴安公所租地案述论

Land Leasing Practices and Institutional Change in Early Shanghai British Settlement:The Land Cases of Xing an Company

兴安公所是福建兴化县旅沪商人的同乡组织,在英租界中心区域拥有20多亩土地。1851年兴安公所抵制英侨新公园委员会强租其土地,得到上海绅民和地方政府的支持,最终迫使已经开筑的上海新公园夭折。随后起草的《1854年土地章程》,通过较为细致的租地程序对于外国租地人进行约束,又对华人在租界租地建房的权利予以默认,以防止中外矛盾的激化。1861年,兴安公所在与长利行的租地纠纷中,尽管掌握有利证据,由于缺乏民众和地方政府的有力支持,还是输掉了官司。随后开始起草的《1869年土地章程》,放松了对于外国租地人的管制,又取消了对华人在界内租地建房权利的默认。可见租界土地制度是随着上海中外势力的消长而变迁的。从兴安公所的这两次租地案中可以发现,惯例在租地实践中发挥了非常重要的作用。上海租界的租地惯例,与土地章程的明文规定一样,都是租界土地制度的组成部分,两者长期共存。

In 1851,Xing an Company,supported by the Shanghai gentry and local government,boycotted the forced lease of its land by the Shanghai New Park Committee of the British community,and finally stopped the construction of the park.In 1861,In the land dispute between Xing an Company and British merchant A.Cushny,despite the favorable evidences,the company lost the case due to the lack of strong support from the Chinese public and the local government.It can be seen from these cases that the land system of the settlement changed with the growth and decline of Chinese and foreign forces in Shanghai.It can also be seen that local convention,like the explicit provisions of the Shanghai Land Regulations,is an integral part of the land system of the settlement.