The Policy of Maritime-forbidden of Emperor Kangxi

茍佳民

摘 要：海禁政策是清政府為防止外國入侵，打擊反清勢力而實施的國策，這使中國錯失了工業化的機會。在實施了一系列海禁政策之后，中國迅速落后于世界潮流。

關鍵詞：海禁政策;清朝 ;中國

The policy of maritime-forbidden is the political considerations of the government for preventing foreign invasions against Chinese and combating the destruction of the power of rebelling Qing Dynasty， which made China miss the opportunity for industrialization. After implementing a series of maritime-forbidden polices， China quickly lagged behind the world trend.

KEY WORDS： maritime-forbidden policy; Qing Dynasty; China

1. The Background of Maritime-forbidden Policy

The policy of maritime-forbidden is a typical case of isolationism. In the early Qing Dynasty， self-sufficient economy still played a dominated role. The ruler of Qing Dynasty thought China was rich in natural resources and didnt need to have trade relations with foreigners. Besides， many people in southeastern coastal areas still opposed Qing dynastys regime in Kangxi period. The rulers feared that exchanges between foreigners and people along the coast would cause disturbances. In order to maintain feudal rule， Emperor Kangxi strictly restricted foreign trades. Whats more， the western colonizers also started to colonize， and they were looking more towards China. For example， Macao was colonized by Portuguese in late Ming dynasty. Hence， in order to consolidate feudal autocracy， Emperor Kangxi carried out maritime-forbidden policy.

2. The Measures of Maritime-forbidden Policy

In 1684， Emperor Kangxi ever slackened maritime probation and allowed Chinese merchants to engage in overseas busines. In the same year， Guangzhou， Xiamen， and Ningbo were officially opened as foreign trade ports. However， the size of the boat which went abroad and the categories and qualities of goods were all restricted. These measures couldnt change the dominant position the autarkic natural economy had in China. This condition made Emperor Kangxi reintroduce the policy in maritime prohibition policy in October 1716. Another factor making Emperor Kangxi implement maritime prohibition policy was politics. In order to prevent Han people in the coastal area from making direct contact with foreigners and to reinforce his control， Emperor Kangxi adopted many measures. For example， the trade with Luzon? was strictly prohibited. Besides， Chinese people were prohibited from living abroad. If officials in the coastal provinces concealed and unreported these prohibited items， they would be strictly punished.

3. Conclusion

Overseas trade and the development of commerce and industry in the coastal area were greatly restricted by the policy of maritime prohibition， which led to the decline of seafaring. Although western businessman could still go to China freely， they couldnt contact with Chinese merchants freely. Only a few number of merchant ships went to China every year， which failed to make an impact. If Emperor Kangxis policy of maritime prohibition was seen worldwide， it was obvious that was a backward policy which ran counter to the trend of modernization in the 18th century. The maritime policy in Kangxis period impeded international cultural and economic exchange， which isolated China from the burgeoning capitalist world which was in stark contrast with Peter the Greats policy of opening up and reform.

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