再论辛亥革命前的上海商会与抵制美货运动

Rethink: Shanghai Chamber of Commerce and Campaign Boycotting American Products before the 1911 Revolution

从百余年前抵制美货运动爆发至今,上海商会发起并领导这场大规模反帝爱国运动的结论广为流传。然而考诸相关史料,却不难发现这是一个误传已久的结论。最早一次发起抵货行动的会议虽在上海商会的会所举行,但却并非由上海商会发起,只是借用该会的会所,商会领导人甚至没有出席该次会议。向全国发布的号召抵制美货通电,也非由上海商会领导人署名,而是由一介商董曾铸领衔。随后,曾铸还承任了运动联络者的重要角色。客观而言,上海商会只是参加抵制美货运动的众多社会团体之一,其作用主要体现于开创了近代中国商民外交之先河。至于疏通美货的行动,则因产生双重影响而得到肯定与否定两种截然不同的评价。

The present paper,challenging the conventional idea that Shanghai Chamber of Commerce(SCC) took the lead in the campaign boycotting American products in over one century ago,contends that SCC merely provided a place for the meeting initiating the campaign and one of its members contributed to the start of the campaign.Furthermore,it points out that SCC pioneered in diplomatic activities taken by merchants in modern China.