档案叙事:民国海关档案中的浪沉事件与九五惨案及其前后

Chronicles from the Archives:Background and Aftermath of the Wave Sinking Incidents and Wanxian Massacre in the Customs Archives of the Republic of China

晚清至民国期间,长江腹地宜昌、重庆、万县先后成为海关,外轮(商船、炮舰)往来长江,浪沉华轮或木船事件频发,引发为万县九五惨案。民国万县海关档案呈现了惨案前后的过程:惨案因浪沉事件累积爆发;惨案发生后,汇集中共地下党、社会法团、军阀等各种力量,川渝地区甚至全国联动,形成继五卅惨案后新一轮中华民族反帝爱国运动;事件前后所触及的社会各方力量交织,利益诉求不同,以杨森为代表的军阀集团出于军阀自身利益,最终放弃斗争;中、英政府在事件中均存在变数,英国政府顾忌在华利益,外交策略上希望尽快和谈解决,解决事件的走向有可能朝着利于中方的方向发展,然而民国政府没有把握住方向趋势做出正确的决策,海关的和谈建议及调解也影响了民国政府决策,事件最终走向了损害民族利益的不利方向。海关档案记载了事件发生及谈判的诸多细节,还原了中国遭遇百年未有之变局的局变镜像。

During the late Qing and early Republic of China periods,the inland areas of the Yangtze River,including Yichang,Chongqing,and Wanxian,successively turned into customs ports.Foreign steamers(merchant ships,gunboats)traveled along the Yangtze River,and incidents of smaller Chinese ships or wooden boats sinking as a result of being overwhelmed by the waves created by those foreign vessels occurred frequently,triggering the Wanxian Massacre.The Wanxian customs archives of the Republic of China recorded the background and aftermath of the massacre:the tragedy basically resulted from previous wave sinking incidents;following the tragedy,various forces such as the underground Communist Party,social organizations,legal entities and warlords assembled,triggering a new round of anti-imperialist and patriotic campaigns across the Sichuan-Chongqing region and even nationwide,akin to the May 30th Massacre.The various social forces involved before and after the event intertwined with different interests and appeals,where the warlord group represented by Yang Sen ultimately abandoned the struggle for its own interests.Both the Chinese and British governments faced uncertainties in the event:the British government,mindful of its interests in China,intended to negotiate and resolve the incident immediately which would potentially favor the Chinese government;however,government of the Republic of China failed to grasp the chance and make proper decisions.The proposals of peace talk and conciliation efforts made by the local customs also influenced the decision-making of the Chinese government,ultimately the event was directed toward an unfavorable condition that harmed China’s national interests.The customs archives recorded numerous details of the incidents and negotiations,providing a mirror image that reflects China’s unprecedented upheaval over the past century.