滇西南传统商路变迁的市场因素和国家因素

The Market and National Factors in the Transformation of the Traditional Trade Routes in Southwest Yunnan

滇西南传统商路主要有景东道和元江道,清以前以景东道为重,商路指向大理,其原因主要是受大理市场容量和区域辐射力的吸引。清中叶改土归流后,滇西南商路的重心从景东道转向元江道。商路重心变化的主要原因,一是昆明作为省会中心城市兴起而产生的集聚经济效应和扩散效应,二是元江至普洱府设官道,道路安全有了保障,三是晚清思茅开埠通商的外向型发展机遇使滇西南商路的重要性得到提升。从滇西南商路变迁过程,可以看到市场和国家的力量均起到重要作用,尽管市场的力量十分强大,但是它仍然需要国家作为强大后盾,才能发挥出市场巨大潜力。这一规律,无论在传统社会还是现代社会都在发挥着作用。

There were two major trade routes in Southwest Yunnan in ancient times:the Jingdong Route and the Yuanjiang Route.The Jingdong Route was more important in times before the Qing Dynasty,as it led directly to Dali,whose market capacity attracted all the merchants in the region.After the mid-Qing Dynasty,when the Qing government replaced the tusi(local chieftains)with officials dispatched from the central court as rulers of Southwest Yunnan,the Yuanjiang Route became more important.There were three main reasons for this change.Firstly,the rise of Kunming as the new capital and central city of Yunnan caused the economic activities to concentrate or diffuse around it.Secondly,the opening of the official road from Yuanjiang to Pu’er made it safer for merchants to travel.Thirdly,the opening of Simao as a trade port in the late Qing Dynasty provided opportunities for more merchants to be engaged in international trade and increased the importance of transportation and cross-border trade in Southwest Yunnan.In this process,both the market forces and the state power played important roles.The market forces,powerful as they are,must be backed up by the state in order to give full play to their potentials.This is a rule that applies both in ancient times and today.