国家政策与地方经济 -- 以宋明两朝之泉州为例 = STATE POLICY AND THE LOCAL ECONOMY : THE CASE OF QUANZHOU IN THE SONG AND MING DYNASTIES

Abstract

This paper surveys the impact of official state policies upon the local economy of Quanzhou in the Song and Ming dynasties. Quanzhou was one of the prefectures of the region of Minnan, part of the Fujian province of China. As one of the foremost frontier areas of China, Minnan region had been actively engaged in Sino-foreign trade since the Tang era. Quanzhou experienced a boom of its economy due to an active foreign sea trade under the Song dynasty. This was largely due to the efforts of the Song government in promoting foreign sea trade under the aegis of the Office of Maritime Affairs. However, in Ming times, such a favourable official stand gave way to a hostile state policy which established and enforced laws against any foreign sea trade not connected with the officially sponsored tributary system. There flourished in the Minnan region an illegal private sea trade in the 15th and 16th centuries. This paper proceeds to uncover historical evidences for a prosperous sea trade sailing from Quanzhou in Ming times, contrary to the assumption that hostile Ming state policy had had a negative impact upon Quanzhou. At the same time, the local economy of Quanzhou, in particular its manufacturing industries, is shown to be intertwined with the flourishing illegal sea trade, complementing and benefitting from it. On the basis of various numerical evidences on the numbers of manufactured products and markets, amongst others, this paper then provides a vivid description of 16th century Quanzhou, whose economy was not stagnant at all, but kept developing throughout the period. A hostile state policy did not end the prosperity of Quanzhou. Comparing 16 century Quanzhou with 12th century Quanzhou, this paper concludes with an explanation of the continuous prosperity of Quanzhou indifferent to the Ming seaban policy, postulating a shift in the nature of Quanzhou's roles in Sino-foreign sea trade.