明正德嘉靖年间的福建人、琉球人与葡萄牙人:生意伙伴还是竞争对手

The Fujianese,Ryukyuans and Portuguese(c.1511 to 1540s):Allies or Competitors

本文认为,在1511年,葡萄牙人面对着几个不同的华商群体。福建人(或至少是部分福建人)乐于同葡萄牙人合作,而其他的华商群体则从中退出,例如琉球人,他们发现自己处在一种暧昧不清的地位。葡萄牙人之所以与福建人合作,部分是因为双方都希望推动对中国的胡椒贸易,而这种合作在16世纪20年代初期中葡冲突后曾一度面临着严峻的考验。但是,双方都尽快地进行自我调整。在整个16世纪30年代至40年代早期,我们发现,个别的葡萄牙商人以私商的身份在福建地区、北大年及其他东南亚的胡椒港口进行贸易,并且经常是与福建人一起合作经营。胡椒贸易中只有一个失败者:琉球人。此外,与福建形成对比的是,广州在16世纪20年代亦遭受重大损失。很明显,主要的赢家是福建人和葡萄牙人。满剌加的沦陷事件和16世纪20年代早期的中葡冲突事件,削弱了广州的地位,却间接地使福建人受益。两起事件导致了两个迅速的反应和调整:第一个反应是将贸易活动转而集中到马来半岛的东海岸,进行'流线型'的胡椒运送;第二个反应是加强了葡萄牙人对福建的直接贸易,而且这种贸易往往是绕过广州来进行的。与此同时,福建人保持着同暹罗人的密切合作关系,并设法削弱琉球人贸易网络的势力。

In about 1511,the Portuguese were faced with several Chinese groups.The Fujianese-or at least some of them-were open for cooperation with the Portuguese,other Chinese groups withdrew from them,just like the Ryukyuans who found themselves in an ambiguous position.Luso-Fujianese cooperation,partially driven by the desire to ship pepper to China,was endangered after the clashes in the early 1520s.But both sides quickly arranged themselves.Throughout the 1530s and early 1540s we thus find individual Portuguese merchants,as private entrepreneurs,trading in the Fujian region and in Patani and other Southeast Asian pepper ports,often side by side with the Fujianese.There was one loser:the Ryukyuans.Furthermore,during the 1520s Guangzhou also suffered,in contrast to Fujian.The major winners,it is clear,were the Fujianese-together with the Portuguese.Indirectly,the Fujianese profited from Melaka’s fall and from the clashes in the early 1520s,which weakened Guangzhou.Both scenarios required flexible responses."Streamlining"pepper shipments by concentrating on trade along the eastern side of the Malayan peninsula was one reaction,strengthening direct trade to Fujian,often bypassing Guangzhou,was a second response.At the same time,the Fujianese remained in close association with the Siamese and also undermined certain segments of the Ryukyuan trade sector.