论15—19世纪初海外华商经贸网络的发展——海外华商网络系列研究之二

从明初到鸦片战争前夕 ,海上华商网络经历了摧残、重建、武装、渗透等恢复和发展的阶段。 15世纪初到 17世纪初 ,海外华商为对抗明朝打击海上私商贸易和移民的政策 ,从合法商人转为走私海商 ,再以武装海商集团对抗朝廷的武力镇压。后期 ,朝廷不得不开放海禁 ,海商归位为合法商人 ,海外华商网络重焕活力。尤其是郑氏家族建立的“海上帝国”主导了远东海上商贸。郑氏以后 ,海外华商网络的支柱和大本营 ,逐渐从中国沿海地区转移到海外华人社区。

The Development of Overseas Chinese Commercial Network from the 15~(th)to the Early 19~(th) Centuries

The overseas Chinese commercial network survived and developed in spite of the twofold oppression by the government and the Europeans. From the early 15 th to the 17 th centuries the government adopted a hostile attitude towards Chinese merchants on the sea. As a result most merchants were forced to go into smuggling and some became armed rebels. In the mid-17 th century, the Chinese merchant group under leadership of Zheng(Koxinga) defeated the Dutches in Taiwan and established an empire on the sea which dominated the East and the South China Sea. By the time when the Zheng was defeated by the Qing government the overseas Chinese commercial network had already taken root in the coastal areas in China as well as Southeast Asia. This network had been strengthened by the increase of Chinese emigrants. With the Chinese immigrants scattering from the coast to the inland from the 18 th century on,this network expanded into the inland in Southeast Asia. What the Chinese were engaged in was not only commerce as before,but also manufacture, plantation and mining industries. With this expansion the overseas Chinese communities came into being. As the overseas Chinese commercial network mainly originated and developed abroad, it is more or less independent of the Chinese market.