1877년 長江六處章程과 淸政府의 洋･民船 정책

Abstract

Due to the Chefoo Convention(芝罘條約) in 1876, the new treaty ports of Wuhu(蕪湖) and Ichang(宜昌), along with Tatong(大通), Anqing(安慶), Hukou(湖口) Wuxue(武穴), Lujikou(陸溪口), and Shashi(沙市) were designated as the six stages on the Yangtze, allowing a temporary anchoring of the steamer. Although it was the Qing government that had foreign vessels bound to the treaty ports, concerns have arisen that the designation of the six stages on the Yangtze may create a loophole in the policy of distinguishing ‘foreign’ and ‘native’ vessels. Thus, the Qing government first stipulated in the treaty that since the six stages on the Yangtze belongs to the interior rather than a port of commerce, the steamer should be loaded and unloaded using the native vessels, and not in accordance with the treaty, but the Maritime Customs duty and Likin(釐金) to be paid and independently handled by the local government. This paper analyzes the discussions between the central and provincial authorities in the Qing government surrounding the six stages on the Yangtze after the Chefoo Convention in 1876 and how Qing government controlled and distinguished ‘foreign’ and ‘native’ in the new trade environment under the designation of the six stages on the Yangtze. The main discussion of the regulations of the six stages on the Yangtze was how to control the operation of the steamer in the six stages and how to compensate for the losses by collecting the Customs duty and Likin as well as how to manage and distinguish the treaty ports and the six stages. On the plan of the Hankow Customs(江漢關) for example, the dispatch office of the Maritime Customs were to installed on the six stages for the management and taxation on the steamship, to divide cargo from the six stages to the treaty ports and to impose a difference in taxes on the cargo from six stages to the other stages. But the Customs duty and Likin were to be treated separately and the collected Likin had to be sent to the Likin Office(釐金局) in the province. On the other hand, Robert Hart's plan was to use existing manuals, systems and institutions for each ports and stages, and to register public line for loading and unloading cargo. He was also pessimistic about treating the Customs Duty and Likin separately, insisting that Likin was replenished from the collected Customs Duty. However, Li Hung-chang(李鴻章) opposed Hart's claim to collect the Customs duty and replenish Likin. The Customs duty and Likin should not only be treated separately, but also should not be treated the same as in ordinary terms, since the six stages were the interior as well. According to the Regulations of the six stages on the Yangtze in 1877, the steamer participating in the six stages were restricted to the river steamers, and only registered cargo-boats were to load and unload cargo. The Customs duty was imposed differently in each case, from stages to other stages, from stages to treaty ports, and from ports to stages. And Likin was to be settled in a lump sum, not supplemented form the Customs duty. In this way, despite the designation of the six stages, the Qing government could restrict the foreign vessels to the treaty ports, manage them separately, while preventing the mix of the Customs duty and Likin.