翁心存與晚清世局──以日常生活紀錄為中心

The Life of a Government Official during the Late Qing Era: As Seen through the Eyes of Weng Xincun

本文以翁心存為核心，探討道光朝在京為官與致仕返鄉士人的日常生活情況。本文透過翁心存在京時期與同年、同寅的宴遊聚會及士人網絡的編織，解析道光朝朝野士人的合縱連橫與黨派傾軋，並由翁心存返鄉奉養母親的居鄉日常生活樣態，瞭解地方士人對戰爭情報的掌握，以及對地方事務、全國政事的議論。此外，蒐集門生族人科考成績與各式書籍，乃為翁心存日常生活的重心，本文亦有觀察。經由討論，首先可知士人網絡對於官宦前途、人際關係、黨派意識，甚或各式消息的獲取等，影響相當深遠。其次，翁心存在看似對立的兩黨派之間從容應對，亦見道光朝官員往來關係的複雜性。最後，從翁心存與摯友祁寯藻的密切聯絡所見，晚清的地域認同與南北之爭等現象仍有討論空間。是故，翁心存的日常生活雖僅一小片段，卻能反應清代中晚期的時代脈動，並延伸出許多值得深入探究的議題。

What was life like for a government official during the Daoguang period (1820-1850)? To answer this question, the present article examines the life of Weng Xincun (1791-1862). He is especially suited for such a task, for he lived in the capital city of Beijing, before returning to his hometown in the countryside to mourn for his deceased mother: his life in Beijing gives us some idea of what it was like to be a government official living in the capital, while his time in the countryside sheds light on the concerns of the country gentry. In the capital, we see Weng maintaining a network of friendships with the literati through frequent parties attended by colleagues and former classmates. In the countryside, we find him discussing local affairs and national politics. Through Weng, we are able to grasp how complicated relations were between Manchu and Han officials during the Daoguang period. Caught in between these two parties, Weng was able to remain above the fray. Through the friendship between Weng and his close friend Qi Junzao, we gain further insight on regional differences and on the north-south divide. These and many other issues worthy of further investigation are raised by an examination of the life of Weng Xincun.