荷蘭東印度公司在臺灣經營的中國茶葉轉口貿易（1641－1660）：歐洲十八世紀茶葉消費擴張的前奏

Chinese Tea Exports via Taiwan by VOC (1641-1660): A Prelude to European Tea Consumption in 18th Century

十六世紀後，歐洲人始接觸到由中國引進的異國飲品：茶，但直到十八世紀後，其消費才真正在歐洲大為擴展。學界一般認為飲茶活動突然大量增加的原因多與近代早期歐洲當時社會狀況的變化有關：亦即為都市化的發展與中產階級的躍升所致。雖然十七世紀居於亞洲各地的荷蘭、英國與葡萄牙人已然熟習飲用茶水，卻僅在1680年代後，荷蘭東印度公司與英國東印度公司才將之視為可賺取利潤的商品，持續的運回歐洲銷售。在十七世紀中期，在荷蘭與英國東印度公司的商品清單上，不時可見到茶葉，卻多是供給印度及波斯所需，特別是載運到蘇拉特銷售。此一現象應與當時中國經歷發生於1644年至1683年間，明亡清興的朝代變遷有所關連。明清鼎革之戰亂阻斷了中國西部輸出茶葉到中亞的傳統茶馬交換貿易管道，使得中亞的蒙古商人無法將茶葉轉口，直至波斯。波斯商人轉而向海上渠道尋求進口茶葉。荷蘭東印度公司此時於臺灣設有商館，與福建商人建立緊密貿易關係，而得以將茶葉轉口至印度與波斯，直到1662年荷蘭人離開臺灣為止。本文即研究十八世紀歐洲人開始大幅消費茶葉之前，1641至1660年間臺灣轉口中國茶葉到印度的貿易，以及在當時的海上茶路，唐人、印度人、波斯人、歐洲人的飲茶形式。作者認為，在海上茶路的跨文化居住地如大員、巴達維亞、萬丹、阿瑜陀耶、蘇拉特等，種種日常公私場合中，常有喝茶場合，使得英國東印度公司、荷蘭東印度公司人員得以接受飲茶習慣，特別是加糖喝茶的方式。此一飲用甜茶的習慣可能與海上茶路中的跨文化遭遇有關。雖然在福建只有某些節慶時供應甜茶，東南亞各地的穆斯林社群卻均有使用糖果或甜點配飲的習慣。飲茶習慣可能經過許多不同管道傳播。儘管如此，大員或熱蘭遮市鎮作為海上茶路的一處歐亞城市，鑑於其作為茶葉供應處此一不可取代的地位與跨文化中介地的功能，應該對於荷蘭人接受飲茶習慣有相當大的貢獻。

Tea, an exotic drink from China, was first introduced to the Europeans in the 16th century, but its consumption became more widespread only after mid- 18th century. Scholars have attributed the sudden surge in tea consumption to urbanization and rise of the middle class in early-modern Europe. While Dutch, English and Portuguese residents in Asia had become very accustomed to drinking tea throughout the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and English East India Company (EIC) carried it as a profitable commodity and imported regular supplies to the homeland only after the 1680s. In mid-17th century, tea gradually began to appear on cargo manifests of VOC and EIC ships, but it was for sale to India and Persia, especially Surat (west coast of India). Consequent to the downfall of Ming dynasty and rise of Qing rule between 1644 and 1683, which disrupted the tea trade route on China's western borders, Persians who used to purchase tea from Mongolian traders in Central Asia sought alternative supplies by sea route. The VOC, which then occupied Taiwan and built close ties with Chinese traders in Fujian, responded rapidly to this call until it lost Taiwan in 1662. This article examines the Taiwan-India tea trade from c. 1641 to 1660, in particular the ways tea was prepared and consumed by Chinese, Indians, Persians and Europeans on the maritime tea route, before the sudden upsurge in tea-drinking in Europe. The author argues that their daily engagement in tea-drinking parties on official and private occasions in cross-cultural settlements in Tayouan, Batavia, Bantam, Ayutthaya (central Thailand), and Surat, enabled VOC and EIC personnel to develop a tea-drinking habit, especially a taste for sugared tea. Such might have arisen from cross-cultural encounters along the maritime tea route. Although sugared tea was served only on special festive occasions in Fujian, Muslim communities in Southeast Asia, India and Persia were accustomed to taking tea with sweets or preserves. While tea-drinking habit could have spread via diverse channels, Euro-Asian cities, such as Tayouan or Zeelandia town, on the maritime tea route were likely to have contributed to the Dutch adaption to such habit with their roles as tea-provider and cross-cultural middle ground.