明清間美洲白銀輸入中國的估計

Estimate of Silver Imports into China from the Americas in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties

一四九二年，西班牙船隊由哥倫布率領，橫渡大西洋，發現美洲新大陸。其後西班牙人移殖美洲，開發那裡的天然資源。由于秘魯、墨西哥銀礦的開採，自一五五○至一八○○年，墨西哥及南美洲的銀礦約共出產世界銀產額的百分之八十以上。在太平洋彼岸的中國，約明朝（1368-1644）中葉前後，因普遍用銀作貨幣，銀求過于供，價值高昂，購買力越來越大。從事國際貿易的商人，自然把美洲白銀大量運往中國，以賺取厚利。西班牙海外帝國自美洲擴展至菲律賓後，因為須以美洲作基地來統治菲島，自一五六五至一八一五年，每年都以一至四艘（以二艘為多）大帆船，橫越太平洋，航行于墨西哥阿卡普魯哥（Acapulco）與菲律賓馬尼拉之間。自美洲對菲的出口貨，以白銀為主。這些白銀，自中國商人看來，購買力很大，故努力對菲輸出，把銀賺回中國。法國學者索魯（Pierre Chaunu）認為，在新大陸發現後的長期間內，產額佔全球總額百分之八十以上的美洲白銀，約有三分之一強，由美洲經太平洋運往菲律賓，及經大西洋運往歐洲，再轉運至亞洲，而其中大部分最後流入中國。鑒于西班牙大帆船大量白銀運往菲律賓、葡、荷及其他歐洲國家商人先後運銀東來，而中國對外貿易又長期出超，我們有理由接受他的判斷。

In 1492, Spanish frigates under the command of Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean and discovered the new continent of America. Soon thereafter, Spaniards emigrated to the Americas and began to exploit the natural resources they found there. From 1550 to 1800, silver extracted from Peruvian and Mexican mines accounted for more than 80 percent of the world's production of silver. In China, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, from the middle of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) on, silver was commonly used as currency. As the demand for silver exceeded supply and its price rose, its purchasing power became increasingly greater. Merchants engaged in international trade naturally began to import silver in large quantities into China in order to profit from it. After the Spanish overseas empire expanded to the Philippines, the Americas became the base from which the Philippines were ruled. Therefore, from 1565 to 1815, every year one to four large ships (usually two) made the Atlantic crossing from Acapulco to Manila. The main American export to the Philippines was silver. Because Chinese merchants greatly valued the purchasing power of silver, they went to considerable lengths to export products in exchange for it. The French scholar Pierre Chaunu has estimated that long after the discovery of the new continent, American silver production accounted for more than 80 percent of the world's output. More than one third of this silver was transported from the Americas to the Philippines; the remainder was transported across the Atlantic to Europe, and from there on to Asia. The final destination of most of this silver was China. Large quantities of silver were exported from Mexico to the Philippines by Spanish ships, and brought to China by Portuguese, Dutch and other traders, leading to a long-term favorable balance of foreign trade for China. There are, therefore, sound reasons to accept Chaunu's estimate.