南蘇門答臘的“非法貿易”：在地社會對貿易擴張之回應，1760-1800年

Illicit Trade in South Sumatra: Local Society's Response to Trade Expansion, C. 1760-1800

近年來的研究強調航海貿易在十八世紀時於東南亞的擴張，以及1780年代馬六甲海峽區域的衰微。這些學者多討論國家中心的衰退，但是當地社會卻有著不同於前者的發展。南蘇門答臘楠榜地區的在地社會是十八世紀時亞洲最大的胡椒產地，它被置於萬丹蘇丹與其統治者－荷蘭東印度公司的微弱控制之下，但它卻在1760-1800年代間展現出強大的生命力。雖然武吉斯人、馬來人和其他劫掠者經常攻擊蘇丹所授權的貨船，楠榜當地精英仍販賣他們的胡椒給華人和其他未被授權的商人。這些商人在楠榜創造了貿易網絡，以當地產品跟中國市場及進口商品做交換。當許多老百姓受苦於劫掠者的搶奪時，部分的當地精英與胡椒種植者卻從這各式的生意中獲利。當英國人經由與楠榜當地精英、華裔商人甚至亞洲劫掠者的合作，而從楠榜取得大量的胡椒時，萬丹和荷蘭人也就逐漸失去了他們對楠榜的掌控。這即是楠榜如何被結合進擴張的中國－東南亞貿易的過程。

Recent studies have emphasized the expansion of maritime trade in eighteenth-century Southeast Asia and the decline of the Melaka Strait region in the 1780s. These scholars discuss the decline of state centers, but local society developed differently from the centers. The local society of the Lampung region in South Sumatra, the largest pepper-producing region in eighteenth-century Asia, was placed under the weak control of the sultan of Banten and his overlord the Dutch East India Company, but showed strong vitality from c. 1760-1800. Although Bugis, Malay, and other raiders frequently attacked cargo ships authorized by the Banten Sultan, the local elites in Lampung sold their pepper to Chinese and other unauthorized traders. These traders created trade networks in Lampung to exchange local products for the China market and imported commodities. While many ordinary people suffered from raiders' plundering, some local elites and pepper cultivators benefited from these types of business. Banten Sultan and the Dutch gradually lost their control over Lampung, while the British obtained large amount of pepper from Lampung, via cooperation with local elites in Lampung, Chinese traders, and even Asian raiders. This is how Lampung was incorporated into the expanding Sino-Southeast Asian trade.