江瀅河

廣州，作為珠江三角洲的中心，擁有2 000多年的歷史，歷來都是重要的中外貿(mào)易港口；各路商人云集于此，汲汲于陶朱之業(yè)。廣州自古商業(yè)和海路交集，享有“千年商都”的美譽。至清代，與國內(nèi)地位顯赫的晉商、徽商一同揚名海內(nèi)外的，就是獨步一方的廣東十三行商人了。

Guangzhou， situated at the heart of the PearlRiver Delta， boasts a history spanning over 2，000years. This vibrant city has consistently served as apivotal center for both domestic and internationaltrade， drawing merchants from all corners of the globeand propelling them to prosperity. Over the years，Guangzhou’s trading prowess has led it to be celebratedas the “Millennial Commercial Capital”. During theQing Dynasty， together with merchants in Shanxiand Huizhou， merchants of the Thirteen Hongs inGuangdong earned acclaim both within China and onthe international stage.

在廣州西關(guān)有一條馬路叫“十三行路”，附近還有一條街叫“同文街”，這里是廣州歷史上赫赫有名的“十三行”所在之處，也是曾經(jīng)西洋商人的聚集之地。當年，十三行商人們在此處設立行號，與來自大西洋兩岸的商人討價還價，形成了“十三行街區(qū)”，其大致地理范圍南瀕珠江，北至今和平東路，東至今仁濟路，西至今長樂路。

In Guangzhou’s Xiguan area， you’ll find a streetcalled “Shisanhang Road”， and nearby， there is anotherstreet named “Tongwen Street”. This neighborhoodmarks the historical heartland of the famous irteenHongs merchants and serves as a hub for Westernmerchants. The Thirteen Hongs merchants set uptheir business here， negotiating deals with tradersfrom across the Atlantic， thereby establishing the“Shisanhang District”. The district extends from thesouthern bank of the Pearl River， bordered by presentdayHeping East Road on the north， Renji Road on theeast， and Changle Road on the west.

康熙二十四年（1684年），清政府在沿海地區(qū)設立江蘇、浙江、福建、廣東四海關(guān)，中外貿(mào)易由此開展。廣州的獨特之處就是出現(xiàn)了“外洋行商人”（即十三行商人，簡稱“行商”）——一群專門與西洋商人打交道的中國商人，他們必須取得中國官府的許可方能開張營業(yè)。除了與西洋商人做生意，行商的另一個重要職能就是充當官方與外商之間的中間人，出面處理協(xié)調(diào)各種事務。

In 1684， during the 24th year of Emperor Kangxi’sreign， the Qing government inaugurated four coastalcustoms offices in Jiangsu， Zhejiang， Fujian， andGuangdong， marking the beginning of foreign trade.Guangzhou distinguished itself with the rise of the“foreign trade merchants” （also known as Shisanhangmerchants， or Hong merchants for short）. TheseChinese entrepreneurs， skilled in liaising with Westernmerchants， were mandated to secure permissions fromthe Qing government to run their business. Besides theirdirect trade with the West， they played a pivotal role asgo-betweens， connecting the government and foreignmerchants， and streamlining various interactions.

早期行商主要是從廣州、佛山等地的商戶中招募，這些商人本來大多從事國內(nèi)商業(yè)活動，成為行商之后，他們的生意就兼顧外貿(mào)和內(nèi)貿(mào)了。因閩粵兩邊都有開展貿(mào)易的機會，不少福建商人也猛龍過江一般來到廣東拓展生意，候鳥式地在兩地之間往返。

Initially， these merchants primarily originated fromtrading hubs like Guangzhou and Foshan， focusing ondomestic business. As they transitioned into the foreignmerchant role， they adeptly navigated both domesticand international trades. Given the bustling tradeopportunities on both sides of the Fujian-Guangdongborder， numerous Fujian merchants ventured acrossthe river to expand their enterprises in Guangdong，reminiscent of migratory birds crisscrossing betweenthe two regions.

清朝設立四海關(guān)初期，廣州并不是西洋商船造訪的唯一港口，廈門、寧波等地也是進行中外貿(mào)易活動的重要場所。18世紀30年代后，時局發(fā)生變化，由于廣州的貿(mào)易傳統(tǒng)和營商環(huán)境明顯優(yōu)于其他港口，廣州停泊的西洋商船越來越多，貿(mào)易量也逐漸增加。

A er the establishment of the four coastal customso ces， Guangzhou was no longer the sole destinationfor Western merchant ships. Ports in Xiamen andNingbo were also bustling hubs for global commerce.However， a significant shift occurred in the 1730s.The trading heritage and business environment ofGuangzhou began to attract a growing number ofWestern merchant vessels， subsequently boosting thecity’s trade volume.

隨著中外貿(mào)易規(guī)模不斷擴大，乾隆二十二年（1756年）后，清政府規(guī)定廣州是唯一可以開展貿(mào)易活動的港口，西洋商船只能在廣州從事貿(mào)易。行商自此壟斷了廣州的對外貿(mào)易，完備而嚴格的貿(mào)易管理制度也逐漸形成，人稱“廣州體制”（Canton System）。行商既要應付官方的需索，保證貿(mào)易的順暢，還要承擔監(jiān)管外商的職責，表面上風光無限，但在外事上若有閃失，他們也理所當然地成為替罪羔羊。在百年進程中，行商逐漸適應了國際市場的貿(mào)易運作機制，培育了中國最早的面向世界的商人群體。通過廣東十三行，絲綢、瓷器、茶葉等中國商品源源不斷地出口到世界各地，豐富了世界人民的物質(zhì)生活，也塑造和改變了他們的精神文化。

As Chinese foreign trade burgeoned， in the22nd year （1756） of Emperor Qianlong’s reign， theQing government singled out Guangzhou as theexclusive port for trade activities. Consequently，Western merchant vessels were restricted to tradingonly in Guangzhou. This led to the Hong merchantsestablishing a stronghold over foreign trade in thecity， eventually giving birth to the comprehensive andstringent “Canton System”. These merchants， whilenavigating official regulations to ensure seamlesstrade， also oversaw the foreign traders. Althoughthey held significant stature， they were vulnerable toblame for any diplomatic missteps. Over a century，these merchants acclimated to global tradingdynamics， emerging as China’s pioneering cohortof internationally focused entrepreneurs. Via theThirteen Hongs of Guangdong， Chinese productslike silk， porcelain， and tea found their way to globalmarkets， enhancing lives and influencing culturalperspectives worldwide.

在長達一個世紀的時間里，廣州涌現(xiàn)出不少延續(xù)百年的著名行商家族，尤以潘家、伍家等為代表。他們長袖善舞、眼光獨到、各顯身手，創(chuàng)建了各自的貿(mào)易網(wǎng)絡，為清王朝貢獻了源源不斷的關(guān)稅收入，在國際貿(mào)易史和廣州城市發(fā)展史上留下了濃墨重彩的印記。

During this significant century， Guangzhoubecame the birthplace of numerous merchant familiesthat enjoyed prosperity for generations. Among them，the Pan and Wu families stood out for their businessacumen and profound insights. ey carved out theirown trade networks， channeling consistent customsrevenue into the Qing Dynasty’s coffers. Their legacyis indelibly etched in the annals of international tradehistory and Guangzhou’s evolution.

在廣東乃至全國各處的社會公益事業(yè)中，常?？梢娛行猩虩嵝木柚挠涗?。毗鄰廣州、地處南海的桑園圍是清代最重要的工程之一，彼時行商們積極響應、踴躍捐助，兩廣總督阮元甚至奏請朝廷為他們建牌坊表彰，足見其捐助力度之大——最終，清政府在道光元年（1821年）為其樹立了題有“樂善好施”四字的牌坊。在地方文化事業(yè)發(fā)展中，行商們贈房產(chǎn)、設書院、出貲（zī）財、修叢書，發(fā)揮了積極作用；在溝通華洋事務上，行商們將西方醫(yī)學中的種牛痘術(shù)引入國內(nèi)并積極推行。據(jù)地方志記載，英國東印度公司大班多林文于嘉慶十年（1805年）將種牛痘術(shù)帶到廣州，天寶行梁經(jīng)國的族人梁國熾，熱心造福鄉(xiāng)里，重金購其法習之，這一醫(yī)療技術(shù)由此推行。

roughout Guangdong and beyond， there’s ampleevidence of the philanthropic contributions by theThirteen Hongs. Notably， Sangyuanwei， located nearGuangzhou and overlooking the South China Sea，stands as a testament to one of the Qing Dynasty’smonumental projects. During its inception， ThirteenHongs merchants stepped forward with generousdonations. Acknowledging their benevolence， RuanYuan， the Governor-General of Guangdong andGuangxi at the time， advocated with the centralgovernment to construct a commemorative archwayin their name. Finally， in the first year （1821） ofEmperor Daoguang’s reign， the Qing governmenthonored them with an archway inscribed withthe words “Charitable and Benevolent”. Beyondinfrastructure， these merchants were pillars of culturalevolution — donating lands， setting up educationalinstitutions， funding various projects， and contributingsignificantly to literature. In bridging China withthe broader world， they were also instrumental inintroducing and promoting the Western smallpoxvaccination technique. According to local records，James Drummond （Duo Linwen）， a businessmanfrom the British East India Company， introducedthis vaccination to Guangzhou in the 10th year（1805） of Emperor Jiaqing’s reign. Recognizing thepotential bene ts， Liang Guozhi， a leading trader fromTianbao Hong， which was founded by Liang Jingguo，enthusiastically invested in mastering and promotingthis medical innovation.

18 ～ 19世紀，廣州作為中國和世界的連接點，是中國最能感受到全球化沖擊和多元化色彩的港口城市。從對近代世界貿(mào)易體系的貢獻來看，廣州可以說是近代全球經(jīng)濟崛起的最重要貢獻者之一。在近代廣州貿(mào)易蓬勃發(fā)展的歷史進程中，十三行作為世界與中國之間的重要紐帶，其作用毋庸置疑。歷史上的十三行兼具經(jīng)濟、文化兩重性，不僅是廣州對外貿(mào)易的直接實踐者，也是廣州獨特城市文化的塑造者，還是世界近現(xiàn)代發(fā)展和多元文化的推動者。

During the 18th and 19th centuries， Guangzhou emerged as a linkbetween China and the outside world and the only port city in China thatbore the brunt of globalization and diverse global influence. Its role inshaping the modern global trade system is undeniable. In Guagnzhou’stransformative era， the irteen Hongs served as conduits connecting Chinawith the wider world. eir legacy in Guangzhou transcends just commerce.Being at the forefront of global trade， they played a crucial role in shapingthe city’s unique culture and promoting global interconnectedness andinclusivity in modern times.