大帆船贸易时期拉美与中国的水银贸易

Mercury Trade Between Latin America and China During the Age of Galleon Trade

15—16世纪地理大发现之后,由于“汞齐化”法的出现以及西属美洲对水银的需求急剧扩大,从而催生了中国与西属美洲之间的水银贸易。中国与西属美洲之间的水银贸易经历了曲折的演进历程。在大帆船贸易开通后的半个多世纪,中国与西属美洲之间的水银贸易开始勃兴,到17世纪四五十年代陷入停滞。17世纪末中国与西属美洲之间的水银贸易出现短暂的复兴,到18世纪末中国水银贸易完全终结。纵观大帆船贸易中的中国水银贸易,由于受到种种因素的影响,呈现出贸易关系的不稳定性、交易数量相对较少以及利润率偏低的特征。

Following the geographical discoveries of the 15th and 16th centuries,the introduction of the amalgamation process and the rapid increase in demand for mercury in Spanish America catalyzed the mercury trade between China and Spanish Ameri-ca.This trade underwent a complex evolutionary trajectory.Initiating over half a century after the commencement of the galleon trade,the mercury exchange between China and Spanish America flourished until it stagnated during the 1640s and 1650s.A brief revival occurred at the end of the 17th century,but by the late 18th century,the Chinese mercury trade had definitively ceased.An overview of China’s mercury trade in galleon trade,influenced by various factors,this trade exhibited unstable relationships,relatively low transaction volumes,and marginal profitability.