晚清中越官方海上交通——以1883年阮述使华为例

Official Maritime Traffic between China and Vietnam in the Late Qing Period:A Case of Nguyen Thuat’s Visit to China in 1883

秦汉时期以来,中越海上交通往来频繁,联系紧密。清朝长期实行'海禁'政策,使海外交通进入衰退时期。至19世纪下半叶,中越海外交通局面发生剧变,鸦片战争后,清政府被迫开放通商口岸,丧失了部分海权,越南亦遭到法国殖民势力入侵。为抵御西方资本主义航运势力,中越两国政府积极发展轮船运输业,清政府创办了轮船招商局,购买并制造新式轮船,开办学堂,培训航海人员等,中越海上交通运输业逐步由旧式帆船航运业向新式轮船运输业变革。清朝后期,中越两国仍维持着传统的宗藩关系,越南需按期遣使岁贡,但中越边境战事频仍,陆路交通受阻,中越海上交通地位日益重要,搭轮渡海成为中越政府官方往来、经济贸易、文化交流的主要交通方式和联系渠道。1883年阮述等人奉命出使清朝,其一行人搭乘轮船由海路至天津,反映了中越传统官方往来模式的转变和中越海上交通轮船航运业的发展。中法战争后,中越宗藩关系终结,中越官方海上交通随之终止。

China and Vietnam had maintained close maritime communication since Qin and Han period.However,the policy of maritime prohibition of Qing Dynasty led to a decline in this bilateral communication.By the second half of the nineteenth century,the situation changed drastically.After the Opium War,treaty ports were opened to foreign trade and the Qing government lost part of its sea power,while Vietnam was also faced with French invasion.In order to resist foreign navigation,both countries promoted national navigation.In China,the Qing government established the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company,purchased new steamships,established schools,and trained seamen.Maritime traffic between China and Vietnam transformed from old-styled sailing to newstyled steaming shipping.In late Qing period,traditional tributary relationship between China and Vietnam was maintained.However,the warfare along the border interrupted land traffic,resulting in the growing importance of maritime traffic,which guaranteed the offi cial communication,trade and cultural exchange between the two countries.In 1883,Nguy?n Thu?t paid a diplomatic visit to the court of Qing by ship to Tianjin before entering Beijing.This refl ected the development of steaming navigation in China and Vietnam.After the SinoFrench War,the tributary relationship came to an end,and official maritime traffic between the two could be maintained neither.