明代广东的市舶太监

广东是明朝的外贸中心,其市舶贸易管理备受重视。自永乐朝派遣宦官提督市舶后,广东的市舶事务就基本上处于市舶太监的管理之下,明初的市舶管理体制被改变。明代中叶以后,广东市舶太监权势不断扩张,更加横行无忌,引起官民的强烈反对而两度被裁撤,最终无权干预广东的市舶事务。我国历代有差遣宦官直接参与广东海外贸易的传统;在宦官专权最为严重的明代,派遣宦官主导广东市舶事务是中央加强经济控制的必然趋势和宦官势力扩张的结果,同时也与中央强化海禁和朝贡贸易政策有关。

Eunuch of Shibo in Ming Dynasty's Guangdong

Guangdong is the international trade center of Ming Dynasty,and the administration of its international trade was greatly stressed. Since eunuch was appointed as governor of Shibo 市舶 (the customs house in ancient China) in Yongle Period 永乐年间,all the customs affairs began to be under the control of Shibo eunuch,and consequently the management system of Shibo established at the beginning of Ming Dynasty was changed. After the middle period of Ming Dynasty,the power of Shibo eunuch in Guangdong was increasing further and they became more unrestrained and undisciplined. Their behavior aroused strong opposition from authorities and civilians,and they were thus twice dismissed from their posts. Finally,they had no power to interfere with the Shibo administration in Guangdong. It had been a tradition for all Chinese dynasties to send central officials to intervene into the administration of Guangdong international trade. So in Ming Dynasty when eunuch threw their weight most severely,eunuch were sent to take the lead in the Shibo affairs in Guangdong,which was the natural tendency of the central government to strengthen economic control and the result from the expansion of eunuch power. The phenomenon was related to the strengthening of the ban on marine trade by the central government and also to the policies of tribute payment and trade.