民国时期海河工程局运行实态:在地方、国家、列强之间游走

Coping with thecity,state,and foreign powers:Dynamics in the operation of the Haihe Conservancy Commission in Republican China

海河工程局为中外合作疏浚海河航道而设,存在于1897年到1949年之间。相关研究基本理清了海河工程局的主营业务、运行制度,大体勾勒出了海河工程局与地方、国家、国际社会的广泛联系。文章在此基础上,利用多种中外文档案和报纸考察租借破冰船、潮白河决口、墙子河水闸三个事件,分析民国时期海河工程局与国际社会、中国国家、地方社会的关系,以期对海河工程局的运行实态有更加立体全面的认识,认为海河工程局在实践中表现出灵活多变的身份和角色,不断调整应对各方的策略,在国际政治、水利事业、地方社会中发挥独特的影响力;与此同时,海河工程局帝国主义的底色挥之不去。1916年,海河工程局出租的破冰船在海参崴除冰引发德奥两国指控中国违反局外中立,这一事件集中体现了各方对海河工程局的暧昧的机构性质的利用,最终事件在海河工程局代表团议事的框架内解决,体现了海河工程局平衡中外利益、解决中外争端的作用。民国元年(1912年)潮白河决口将海河工程局卷入全国水利规划与天津港口经济发展的矛盾漩涡。海河工程局在中国的其他水利机构的交锋中代表天津地方的商业利益。它依仗外交途径,一方面强势干预民国政府的水利统筹规划,一方面又促成了顺直水利委员会的建立,为上下游水利机构合作创造了平台。墙子河水闸引发的天津内部租界和华界的利益冲突,跨越晚清民国,展现了海河工程局与地方社会的关系及其对自身定位的转变。海河工程局最初与租界站在一起,积极谋求海河以外的管理权限,尔后逐渐退出水闸管理,力图塑造一个更加中立、专业的形象。然而在各国领事、租界当局,乃至中国老百姓的眼中,海河工程局仍然是洋人利益的当然代表。总的来说,海河工程局的身份有不同的面向,面对各方势力,它不断地调整自己的定位,以便在纷繁的时局中尽可能地实现机构自身的目的。海河工程局虽然在制度层面是一个独立的公益法人,但它的存在与运行都依附于近代条约体系,无法真正独立。

The Haihe Conservancy Commission(HCC)was established for Sino-foreign cooperation in dredging the Hai River and existed between 1897 and 1949.The existing studies have clarified the main business and operation system of the HCC and outlined the connections between the HCC and the local,national,and international communities and institutions.Building upon this body of work,this article exploits various archives and newspapers to examine the events surrounding the leasing of two icebreakers,the breach of the Chaobai River,and the sluices in the Qiangzi Canal,in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the operation of the HCC.The article argues that the HCC was flexible with its identity and role in practice,adjusting its strategies to respond to different parties,and exerting a unique influence in international politics,water conservancy,and local society.At the same time,the HCC’s imperialist characters persisted.In 1916,two icebreakers owned by the HCC were found de-icing in Vladivostok.Germany and Austria-Hungary accused China of violating its promised neutrality during the Great War.In the conflicts to follow,various parties demonstrated how they took advantage of the ambiguous status of the HCC to serve their purposes.The eventual resolution of the incident was reached after a series of deliberations within the institution,which shows the ability of the HCC of balancing interests and resolving disputes among the Chinese and foreign authorities.The breach of the Chaobai River in 1911 made the HCC an active player in the long-lasting conflicts between the overall water planning of Zhili and the economic development of the port of Tianjin.The HCC represented the local commercial interests of Tianjin in fighting against other Chinese water agencies.Through its diplomatic privilege,it facilitated the establishment of the Zhili River Commission,a platform for cooperation among various river authorities,and managed to intervene in the national water planning of the Chinese government.At Tianjin,the HCC was also involved in the recurring disputes between the foreign concessions and the Chinese communities over the sluices in the Qiangzi Canal.The HCC initially teamed with the foreign concessions and actively sought the power of control over the sluices in the Qiangzi Canal.Then,the HCC gradually withdrew from issues regarding the sluices in an attempt to cultivate a more neutral and professional public image.However,it failed to reverse the opinion of the Chinese people who still saw the HCC as a representative of foreign interests.In summary,the constitution of the HCC left room for interpretation,and the HCC constantly adjusted its status in coping with different situations to achieve its purposes in the tumultuous times.Although the HCC was designed to be an independent non-governmental institution,its existence and functioning were dependent on the unequal treaty system and could never be truly independent.