威妥瑪1850年代的在華活動與中英關係

Thomas Wade and the Anglo-Sino Relationship in 1850s China

本文將回顧並分析威妥瑪1850年代的在華活動。威妥瑪在得到上海副領事的任命（1852年）之後重返中國。他在上海期間，參與了與清軍的武裝衝突「泥城河之戰」，並於隨後的談判中同時任英國上海領事阿禮國一道，和清廷達成設立由外國人管理之海關稅務司的協議，威妥瑪本人則成為首任稅務監督。這些與清朝官員交往的第一手經驗讓威妥瑪意識到口譯人員在外交領域的重要性，因此在他辭去稅務監督一職位後，編纂了北京話教材《尋津錄》。《尋津錄》既體現出漢學知識與帝國權力的共謀，也反映出接觸地帶生產的知識所帶有的混雜特性。威妥瑪在上述經歷中分別作為軍人、外交人員與漢學家，深刻地參與了1850年代大英帝國在中國事業的進展與挫敗。威妥瑪在此三種身份中靈活轉換，其成果也得到了英國外交部的認可，這為他日後成為額爾金的中文秘書並真正走進外交舞臺的中心打下了基礎。

This article focuses on the life and career of Thomas Wade in China during 1850s. appointed as British vice-consul of Shanghai in 1852, Wade returned China. He took an active part in the Battle of the Muddy Flat, a military conflict against the Qing army, and then participated in the negotiation, as the assistant of Sir Alcock, of the establishment of Customs that under the foreign management. Wade's outstanding contributions in the negotiation was rewarded by the position of the Inspector of the newly-form Customs but, aware the significance of the interpreters, he quitted the position and devoted himself in editing the textbook of Beijing Mandarin The Hsin Ching Lu, which embodied the collusion of the sinology and the power of imperialism and reflected the Hybridity of knowledge that produced in the “Contact zone”. In the events that mentioned above, Wade was involved in the Sino-British relationship as military officer, diplomat and sinologist. He switched among these three roles swiftly and his contributions was recognized by the British government, which helped him enter the center of the diplomatic stage.