近代华资企业直接对外贸易的探索与践行——以20世纪20年代茂昌蛋品公司为例

近代，外商长期把持着中国对外贸易出口权，并借此最大限度地攫取利益。为了摆脱外商对中国蛋品贸易的控制，成立于1923年的华资企业上海茂昌蛋品公司立志从事直接对外贸易。在“雇用外人为我服务”的理念下，茂昌公司高薪聘请外籍人员，不仅成功解决了技术、运输等难题，还构建了一个以自己子公司——伦敦海昌公司——为核心，以世界工业冷藏食品巨头美商斯威夫特公司、英商洛士林洋行为主要代理商的庞大且高效的国际市场销售网络。经过激烈的竞争，茂昌蛋品公司不仅挫败了外资蛋品企业的联合打压，并在短短几年内迅速成长为中外同业中最具实力的企业。茂昌公司的这一成就在近代中国对外贸易史中是极为罕见的。对茂昌公司的研究不仅有助于补充近代华资企业探索直接对外贸易领域的不足，还有助于重新审视以及评价近代华资企业的竞争活力。

The Exploration and Practice of Direct Foreign Trade of Modern Chinese Enterprises as Exemplified by China Egg Produce Company in 1920s

In modern China, foreign businessmen manipulated and controlled the export right of China’s foreign trade for a long time, and seized the trade interests to the maximum extent. In order to get rid of the control of foreign businessmen on China’s egg trade, China Egg Produce Company was founded in 1923, and was determined to engage in direct foreign trade. Under the concept of “employing foreigners to serve me”, China Egg Produce Company employed foreign technical and business personnel with high salary, which not only successfully solved the problems of technology and ocean transportation, but also constructed a company with its own subsidiary. Besides, the company also formed a large and efficient international marketing network with oversea Egg and produce Company as the core, and the world’s industrial refrigeration food giant, American Swift Company and British business, Loxley Company as the major agents. After fierce competition, China Egg Produce Company not only successfully defeated the joint crackdown of foreign egg enterprises, but also rapidly grew into the most powerful enterprise among the Chinese and foreign counterparts in just a few years. This achievement of China Egg Produce Company was very rare in the history of modern China’s foreign trade. This paper is helpful not only to supplement the lack of direct foreign trade research of modern Chinese enterprises, but also to re-examine and evaluate the competitive vital