打开“技术黑箱”:技术进化视阈下近代中英棉纺织业的发展差异

Opening the "Technology Black Box" :The Development Differences of Modern Cotton Textile Industries between China and Britain from the Perspective of Technological Evolution

在近代史中,工业革命常被认为是世界发展的“分水岭”。以科学技术为基础的第一次工业革命未发生在中国,近代中国棉纺织业陷入技术创新不足的困境,传统手工棉纺织业开始由兴盛转向衰落,这与近代英国棉纺织业的飞速发展形成了鲜明对比,如何解释这一差异成为学界的重要议题。相较于以往文献中多注重考察市场、地理等外生因素,本研究尝试从内生技术因素探寻其差异的深层原因,重点关注传统技术的演化规律及其“黑箱”特性。研究发现:第一,中英两国在传统纺织技术的延续性及适配性上存在差异;第二,中英两国在机床工业、钟表制造业等关联领域的传统技术上存在差异;第三,技术思想和技术发展观念深刻影响了近代中英两国的“创新孵化”。

In modern history,the industrial revolution is often regarded as the "watershed" of world development. The first industrial revolution based on science and technology did not take place in China,which led to the dilemma of insufficient innovation in modern China’s cotton textile technology. The traditional handmade cotton textile industry began to turn from prosperity to decline,which is in sharp contrast with the rapid development of the modern British cotton textile industry. How to explain this difference has become an important issue in the academic world. Compared with previous literature,which paid more attention to exogenous factors such as market and geography,this study attempts to explore the causes of differences from endogenous technical factors. Focusing on the evolution laws of traditional technology and the characteristics of black box. The findings are as follows:First,there are differences in the continuity and adaptability of traditional textile technology between China and Britain;second,there are differences in traditional technologies in related fields such as the machine tool industry and watch manufacturing;third,technological thoughts and concepts of technological development had a profound impact on the "innovation incubation" of modern China and Britain.