清代商工群體中的客長

“Ke-zhang” of the Merchants and Handicraftsmen's Groups in the Qing Dynasty

「客長」一詞應該是指從外地來到本地，客居於本地的商工群體之領袖，即「客商之長」。「客」係指由外地流寓本地之意，外來商工群體因從事商工等行業，必須行商貿易有無，或是隨勞務需要而游動不羈，離開本籍流寓他方。本文首先試圖從清代史料中盡量爬梳，找出「客長」的詞彙及其所涵括的概念，以作為全面性認識「客長」的初步課題；其次，對於目前尚缺乏詳細研究的在涉外貿易層面上的「客長」角色加以補足，藉以考察「客長」在中國整體的商業結構、商人管理等領域上的功能。

“Kezhang” is a word that refers to leaders of guilds of merchants and craftsmen who travelled from region to region looking for work. This article firstly aims to illustrate the meaning of “Kezhang” with respect to Qing dynasty literature, and then secondly attempts to compensate for the lack of theory on “Kezhang” in foreign trading cultures by reviewing their functions in terms of the structure of commerce and management of merchants.