아편전쟁 초기 중국의 영국 인식 — 魏源의 ≪英吉利小記≫ 해제 및 역주

Abstract

Wei Yuan (魏源) wrote Yingjilixiaoji (≪英吉利小記≫), which provides a detailed examination of various aspects of England’s geography and culture, including its location, natural resources, appearance, religion, clothing, and social customs. In addition, it explores England’s identity, such as the significance of the monarchy, the importance of the military, methods of tax collection, and how the empire utilized its colonies. Through these insights, Wei Yuan offers a comprehensive analysis of the factors that contributed to England’s rise as a powerful nation. Wei Yuan was a politician and enlightenment thinker of the Qing Dynasty. He enjoyed reading books from a young age, but after repeatedly failing the imperial examination, he spent many years working as a bureaucratic assistant(幕僚). Yingjilixiaoji is also a small pamphlet that he wrote while serving in the office of the Governor-General of Liangjiang (兩江總督), Yu Qian (裕謙), in 1840. In 1840, British officer Gordon Bremer (伯麥) sent a letter to Zhejiang Province(浙江省) demanding the release of the British prisoner Anstruther (安突德). The Qing court sent Imperial Envoy (欽差大臣) Ili Bu (伊里布) to Ningbo (寧波) to handle the incident. Ili Bu, upon receiving the court’s order, asked Wei Yuan (魏源), a native of Hunan (湖南), to accompany him to Ningbo. Thus, Wei Yuan observed the interrogation of the British artillery officer Anstruther in Ningbo, and through him, he learned about the changing situation in Britain. Thus, based on Anstruther’s testimony, Wei Yuan supplemented it with the Macau Monthly Report (≪澳門月報≫) and the testimony of Frank Denham (顚林), a Westerner captured in Taiwan (臺灣), and wrote Yingjilixiaoji, thereby revealing the identity of Britain. The perception of Britain as a country that uses foreign trade as a tool of invasion to colonize other nations marks an advanced understanding of Britain by the Chinese, moving beyond the geographical and cultural knowledge of its location, natural environment, products, appearance, religion, clothing, and customs that existed prior to the publication of Yingjilixiaoji. Furthermore, compared to the contemporary publication Yingjilikao (≪英吉利考≫), which also relied on Anstruther’s testimony and viewed Europe as a single country, Yingjilixiaoji offers a much more accurate and well-documented account.