【「香港故事」更新】展覽文字保育計劃：（五）鴉片戰爭及香港的割讓 The Opium Wars and the Cession of Hong Kong
【左邊早期中西關係長廊 Early Sino-Western Relations Corridor on the Left】
新航路及西商來華 The New Route and the Arrival of European Traders
隨著中古黑暗時代的過去，文藝復興帶領歐洲進入一個新時代。航海家與冒險家熱切追求財富，天主教徒則熱衷於向外傳教，乃紛紛揚帆出海尋找新大陸。中國歷史悠久，物阜民豐，很自然成為歐洲人發展對外貿易的目標地。1498年，葡萄牙航海家達伽馬成功繞過好望角抵達印度，開關了通往東方的新航路，打破回教徒對中東陸路的壟斷，葡萄牙人、荷蘭人和英國人等乃先後循此海路來華經商。
With the passing of the Darking Ages in Europe, the Renaissance ushered in a new era of discovery. Adventurous seafarers in pursuit of riches and zealous Catholics intent on finding converts set sail to search for new lands. China, with her long history and legendary wealth, was an inevitable destination for European traders. In 1498 the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa and reached India. The new sea route from Europe to the East he discovered provided an alternative to the land route via the Middle East which passed through the Muslim world. The sea route later reached China and served endless contingents of European merchants who sailed there for trade, including Portuguese, Dutch and British.
葡萄牙人東來 The Coming of the Portuguese
葡萄牙人分別於1510年和1511年佔領果亞（印度）和馬六甲（馬來亞），並且取得了通往東印度群島的航路控制權。葡萄牙人在馬六甲遇見帶著綢緞、瓷器及珍珠以換取香料、薑及金線的中國商人，遂萌生前往中國貿易的念頭。1514年，葡人首次抵達中國，進行通商。1557年，葡人正式獲准繳納年租在澳門居住，首開歐洲人在中國租借土地居住的先例。
The Portuguese took possession of Goa (India) in 1510 and Malacca (Malaya) in 1511, gaining control of the sea route to the East Indies. In Malacca they saw Chinese merchants trading silk, porcelain and pearls for spices, ginger and gold thread. This prompted the Portuguese to sail north to China to trade. They arrived in Macau in 1514, and in 1557 obtained permission to settle there on payment of an annual rent, setting a precedent for European countries to lease land in China.
廣州的中西貿易 Foreign Trade in Guangzhou
明 、清遞嬗之際，厲行海禁，廣州對外貿易一度衰落。1685年，清政府正式宣佈開放海禁，在廣州、漳州、寧波和雲台山設置海關，以管理對外貿易。1757年，清政府為防止外人往來海防要地，獨留廣州一口通商，並訂立“防夷規程”，限定外商在廣州的活動範圍，只准他們於每年貿易季節前來進行買賣，其餘時間須離開中國或撤至澳門。
In the interim period between the Ming and Qing dynasties, China prohibited traders from setting sail overseas, and trade in Guangzhou (Canton) quickly declined. In 1685 the Qing government officially lifted the ban. Foreign trade was resumed and Customs offices were established at Guangzhou, Zhangzhou, Ningbo and Yuntai Shan. In 1757 the Qing government, anxious to close strategic coastal places to foreigners, designated Guangzhou as their only port and introduced a set of restrictive regulations. Foreigners were permitted trade in Guangzhou only during the trading season, after which they had to leave China altogether, usually withdrawing to Macau.
行商與公行制度 Hong Merchants and the Co-hong System
清政府指令由若干商人具體辦理對外貿易業務，是謂“行商”。行商所開設的對外貿易行店則稱為洋行，通稱“十三行”。1720年行商組成“公行”，包攬對外貿易和管理外商的工作，例如外商向海關報稅，須由公行代為收納；外商與官府的文書往來，亦由公行代呈；公行還須照料約束外商的居住行動。外國商人對於在廣州營商所受的種種管制，深感不滿。
The Qing government restricted trade with foreigners to certain Chinese merchants, the Hong merchants, and their firms were the so-called “Thirteen Hongs”. In 1720 this arrangement became the Co-hong system. Its role was broadened to include collecting Customs declarations from foreign merchants, communicating between them and the government, and even overseeing surveillance of their activities. Foreign merchants’ dissatisfaction with trade conditions in Guangzhou grew with the Hong merchants’ exploitation of such wide-ranging powers, which were never relaxed despite many protests.
早期中英關係 Early Sino-British Relations
十八世紀晚期，英國進行工業革命，生產技術的提高導致工業製成品的產量大增，拓展海外市場成為當務之急，而人口眾多的中國自然被視為傾銷商品的對象。但中國經濟向來自給自足，素視貿易為嘉惠外人的賞賜，對外商諸多限制，而英國卻又只顧向華傾銷大量不合用的貨品。為了謀求改善在華營商環境及進一步拓展對華貿易，英政府曾先後於1793年及1816年派遣使節團來華，均無功而還。其後英政府終止了英國東印度公司的對華貿易專利權，並於1834年派遣律勞卑為首任駐華商務監督，到廣州商談兩國貿易的新安排，終亦不得要領，更於澳門病逝。中英關係，每況愈下。
The Industrial Revolution in Britain in the late 18th century greatly increased industrial production and creation an urgent need for overseas markets for British goods. China, with her large population, was seen as a prime target. But China, with her self-sufficient economy and traditional ethnocentric attitudes, quite naturally imposed many restrictions on foreign merchants, while Britain tried to sell unsuitable products to China. Britain sent emissaries to China in 1793 and 1816 in the hope of improving trade relations, but both failed. A third attempt was made in 1834 following the abolition of the British East India Company’s monopoly on China trade. Lord Napier was appointed British Superintendent of Trade in China in 1834 to negotiate more favourable trade arrangements. His mission to Guangzhou failed and he died in Macau, Sino-British relations deteriorating still further.
【右邊鴉片戰爭展室Opium War Room on the Right】
從貿易到戰爭 From Trade to War
自1498年葡萄牙人東來，至1840年鴉片戰爭爆發，期間三個半世紀的滄桑歷史，道盡了中西之間的關係，如何在友好貿易中漸起爭端，最終大動干戈。鴉片戰爭是香港歷史的轉捩點，香港被割讓，脫離中國新安縣的管治，從一個僅有零星漁村和農鄉之地，演變為英國的殖民地，其後更是百年人事幾番新，歷盡變遷。希望觀眾能透過這齣影片，重溫昔日這段歷史的點滴。
The three and a half centuries from the coming of the Portuguese in 1498 to the outbreak of the Opium War in 1840, witnessed the transition of Sino-Western relations from an era of peaceful trade to one of direct confrontation ending in the use of force. The Opium War was the watershed of Hong Kong’s history, demarcating the time when from a few scattered fishing villages and rural hamlets under the jurisdiction of Xin’an county it became a British colony, with all the cataclysmic changes that resulted. Through this film it is hoped that the audience would re-live this chapter of history.
林則徐與九龍海防 Lin Zexu and Kowloon’s Coastal Defence
林則徐於1839年抵達廣州後，為了控制香港島與尖沙咀間的海面，使英人無法以此作為走私鴉片的據點，遂將大鵬協的指揮總部移駐九龍，並在尖沙咀南麓和官涌（油麻地）各添建一座炮台，藉以控制尖沙咀與香港島之間的水域，對護衛虎門和截斷英人東西通道，均有重要的戰略作用。
After Commissioner Lin Zexu arrived in Guangzhou in 1839, he realised that he had to control the waters between Tsim Sha Tsui and Hong Kong Island to prevent British ships from using chis passage for their contraband opium trade. He therefore relocated the headquarters of the Dapeng Brigade to Kowloon, and had two forts built at Tsim Sha Tsui and Kwun Chung (Yau Ma Tei) to stand guard over the harbour, protect Humen (the Bogue) and deprive the British of this vital east-west passage.
虎門銷煙 Destruction of the Opium
林則徐於1839年抵粵後，勒令外商全數繳交鴉片，並嚴令具結，保證不再向中國輸入毒煙，結果停泊在虎門口外的鴉片躉船共繳煙20,283箱。自1839年6月3日起二十三日內，林則徐下令把繳獲的鴉片煙土，在虎門海灘全數銷毀。
When Commissioner Lin arrived in Guangzhou in 1839, he informed the foreign merchants to surrender their stock of opium and promise not to import any more of the poisonous drug into China. Altogether 20,283 chests of opium were surrendered from the barges anchored off the Bocca Tigris. On Lin’s orders this opium was destroyed in lime pits over a period of 23 days from 3 June 1809.
中英軍力的比較 Military Strengths of China and Britain
清朝在鴉片戰爭中實際動員的部隊共約十萬人，與英國遠征軍最高兵力時的二萬人相比，表面上佔有絕對優勢。但若比較中英武器裝備，清軍卻是望塵莫及，其中差距最大的是船艦。英艦以航速快、機動性強馳名於世，而大型戰艦又能裝炮多至一百二十門，具備極強的戰鬥力；相反清軍戰船攻擊力弱，水師欠缺實戰經驗，加上武器不精，實難與英國海軍匹敵。
On paper the Qing government’s 100,000 men fighting the Opium War far outnumbered Britain’s expeditionary force of 20,000. In armament, however, the Qing forces’ equipment was decidedly inferior, particularly its navy. British warships were fast, armed with up to 120 cannon, and possessed incomparable combat capability. By contrast the Qing war junks were poorly armed, had little offensive capability, and were commanded by officers inexperienced in the highly efficient tactics of the British.
中英在九龍的衝突 Conflict in Kowloon
經過1839年6月虎門銷煙及7月尖沙咀村民林維喜被殺等接二連三的事件，中英衝突如箭在弦。同年9月4日，英國駐華商務監督義律率領三艘船隻前往九龍欲購置食糧，但由於清廷已頒令禁止對英人供應任何糧水，義律不得要領，遂下令向清軍開炮。經過數小時的交戰，英國船隻因彈藥耗盡而撤退。此事引發了繼後的連串衝突，揭開了鴉片戰爭的序幕。
Tension between Chinese and British escalated after Lin’s destruction of opium at Humen in June 1839 and the killing of a Chinese by a British sailor at Tsim Sha Tsui in July. On 4 September, British Superintendent of Trade in China, Charles Elliot, led three British ships to Kowloon to purchase food. Frustrated by failure to lift the Chinese ban on food provision, he ordered one of the ships to open fire. After several hours’ exchange of shelling, the British ships ran out of ammunition and withdraw. This heralded a couple of skirmishes which constituted the prelude to the First Opium War.
第一次鴉片戰爭爆發 Outbreak of the First Opium War
英國國會於1839年10月經過激烈辯論後，以極微多數票通過對華用武。1840年6月下旬，英國艦隊抵華，北上攻佔舟山群島的主要城市定海，8月中旬更抵白河口，逼近京城。清政府大為震驚，道光皇帝立場動搖，隨即撤去林則徐的職務，並派遣琦善議和。 琦善和義律經多番談判後草擬了《穿鼻草約》，但不曾簽訂，終亦不為兩國政府所接受。1841年2月下旬，英軍再次舉兵進侵珠江沿岸，5月更攻陷廣州城。
In October 1839 the British Parliament passed the Bill of War against China by a slight majority after a heated debate. Arriving in June 1840, the British expeditionary force swiftly moved north to occupy Dinghai (Tinghai), then farther north to the mouth of River Baihe, in threateningly close proximity to the capital Beijing (Peking). Severely shaken by the turn of events, the Qing government dismissed Lin Zexu and despatched Qishan (Keshen) to negotiate peace. Qishan and Ellsot jointly prepared a draft treaty after prolonged negotiations, which in the end was not accepted by either government. Hostilities were resumed the following February and Guangzhou fell to the invading troops in May 1841.
戰爭擴大 Escalation of War
由於義律在華的交涉成果未能滿足英國政府的需索，戰事進一步升級。璞鼎查（砵典乍）繼義律出任英國駐華全權代表，並於1841年8月抵達廣州發動全面戰爭，隨即重奪定海，攻陷廈門、鎮海和寧波各地。至1842年6月，英兵獲增援後，沿長江北上，攻陷了鎮江，8月兵臨南京城下。清廷被迫簽訂城下之盟。
The war escalated because Britain was dissatisfied with the concessions that Elliot secured from China. Elliot’s successor Henry Pottinger reached Guangzhou in August 1841 and immediately launched an all-out offensive, re-occupying Dinghai and taking Xiamen (Amoy), Zhenhai and Ningbo. In June 1842, fortified by reinforcements, the British followed the Yangtze upriver to capture Zhenjiang (Chinkiang), and were encamped outside Nanjing (Nanking) by August. The Qing government had no option but to succumb to further British demands.
第二次鴉片戰爭 The Second Opium War
在《南京條約》簽訂後，英國認為清廷沒有完全履行條約所訂的各項條款，更欲進一步擴大其在華利權，新一輪軍事衝突迫在眉睫。1856年10月，一艘香港華人擁有及在港註冊並懸掛英國國旗的船隻“亞羅號”在廣州遭中方拘留，英人乃以此為口實發動戰爭。適值法國傳教士於廣西被殺，法國乃加入戰團。由於這場戰爭的起因與鴉片戰爭後的修約交涉有關，故被稱為第二次鴉片戰爭（又稱英法聯軍之役）。1858年英法聯軍攻陷廣州，英法簽訂《天津條約》。兩年後，聯軍再陷大沽，進而佔領北京城，清廷再次簽訂城下之盟 — — 《北京條約》。
Claiming that the Qing government did not fully honour the Treaty of Nanking, Britain renewed her territorial designs on China. In October 1856 the Chinese detained the Arrow, a lorcha flying the Britain flag, Britain started war on this pretext. The murder of a French missionary in Guangxi at this time caused France to join ranks with the British. As the war was caused by the unresolved disputes over the treaty terms concluded in the First Opium War, it was called the Second Opium War (also known as the Anglo-French Expedition to China). In 1858, the Anglo-French forces occupied Guangzhou, took Ye Mingchen, Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, then proceeded north to capture Dagu (Taku). The Qing government had no alternative but to accept the terms put forward by the British and French, and sign the Treaty of Tientsin. Two years later, the joint forces captured Dagu again and occupied Beijing (Peking), ending with the signing of another unequal treaty, Convention of Peking.
租借新界 Lease of the New Territories
隨著更多不平等條約的簽署，俄國控制了遠東的沿海地區。另法國在吞併越南的東京後，亦有意向中國鄰近的雲南與廣西兩省擴張勢力。英國遂以其在華利權受威脅為理由，藉口法國租借廣州灣，向清政府提出拓展香港疆界問題。中英《展拓香港界址專條》於1898年6月9日正式簽署，英國藉此強租今日名為新界的大幅土地，為期九十九年至1997年6月30日止，標誌著香港回歸中國的期限。
Russia secured its eastern seaboard through more unequal treaties, while France, after acquiring Tongking (Vietnam), threatened to control China’s neighbouring Provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi. When France leased the port of Guangzhouwan (Zhanjiang) in Guangdong, Britain forced yet another concession from China. Under a lease signed on 0 June 1898 it took control of what was to become the New Territories. The expiry of the 99-year lease on 30 June 1997 became the fulcrum for Hong Kong’s return to China.
【正中文物展示區 Artifacts Exhibition Area in the Centre】
鴉片貿易 The Opium Trade
由於英國人對中國出產的茶葉需求極大，而英國商品卻不受中國人歡迎，因此在早期的中英貿易中，英國常處於嚴重入超的局面。為了扭轉貿易逆差，英國乃在印度廣植鴉片，向華傾銷。由於利錢豐厚，鴉片的進口量按年遞增，由十九世紀初每年平均四千餘箱，增至1838年約三萬五千箱。中英貿易的逆差完全扭轉，中國由長期出超轉為入超，白銀大量外流。當時吸食鴉片的惡習席捲全國，煙民的人數估計達一千萬，對中國的經濟及民生造成極嚴重的損害。
Since Chinese tea was in great demand in Britain while its products were not popular in China, the early Sino-British trade was greatly in China’s favour. But Britain found the solution in opium grown in British India and shipped to China. The annual import of 4,000 chests in the early 19th century multiplied to 35,000 chests in 1838. The British trade imbalance with China was entirely reversed and immense sums of silver dollars drained out of China’s economy. The scourge of opium addiction swept through China. Estimates of the number of addicts ranged as high as 10 million, with serious repercussions on China’s economy and its people’s health.
英軍佔領香港島 British Occupation of Hong Kong Island
英軍船艦“硫磺號”於1841年1月24日駛進香港，次日上午登錄。其餘艦隊在26日相繼抵達。海軍陸戰隊登陸後，隨即在香港島升起第一面英國國旗。英軍在隆隆禮炮聲中，宣佈正式佔領香港島。當日英軍登錄並舉行儀式的地點被命名為佔領角，港人稱之為大笪地，即今日水坑口街荷里活道公園所在地。
On 24 January 1841 the British warship Sulphur sailed into Hong Kong waters and troops landed the next morning. Other warships followed on 26 January. The British flag was raised and, amidst the booming sound of the gun salute, the formal occupation of Hong Kong Island was proclaimed in Britain’s name. The landing spot was later named Possession Point. The site in Sheung Wan has now become the Hollywood Road Park. Possession Street is nearby.
南京條約 The Treaty of Nanking
中英代表於1842年8月29日在英艦“皋華麗號”上簽訂《南京條約》，中國割讓香港島予英國，於是香港島被英國強佔十九個月後，正式成為英國的殖民地。除割地外，清政府須賠款二千一百萬兩，開放五個口岸對外通商，並廢除公行制度，可是《南京條約》中沒有片言隻字提及鴉片貿易。英商在條約簽訂後，利用香港優越的地理位置，進一步擴大鴉片走私活動。
Chinese and British envoys signed the Treaty of Nanking on board H.M.S. Cornwallis on 29 August 1842. China ceded to Britain the island of Hong Kong which, after 19 months of de facto occupation, formally came under British colonial rule. The Qing government agreed to pay Britain an indemnity of 21,000,000 taels of silvers, open five ports to foreign trade, and abolish Co-hong system, The Treaty of Nanking did not mention opium, but the British merchants then used Hong Kong’s superior geographical location to smuggle even more opium into China.
北京條約 The Convention of Peking
戰火於1860年10月重燃，英法聯軍攻陷北京，搶掠並縱火焚燒圓明園，同年10月24日，清政府被迫與聯軍簽訂《北京條約》。根據跳躍規定，清政府須增開天津為商埠，並賠款予英、法兩國各八百萬兩。此外，清政府亦容許公使長駐北京，華民（苦力）出洋。該條約又規定割讓九龍半島今界限街以南的地方以及昂船洲給英國，鞏固了英國在香港的控制權。
War resumed in October 1860. Anglo-French forces took Beijing (Peking), plundered the city and burnt the Summer Palace (Yuanming Yuan). With the signing of the Convention of Peking on 24 October, the Qing court agreed to open Tianjin as a Treaty Port, pay an indemnity of 8,000,000 taels of silver each to Britain and France, permit foreign envoys in Beijing, and consent to the emigration of unskilled labourers. Furthermore, Britain tightened its grip on Hong Kong through the cession of Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters Island.
