帝国之裘：清朝的山珍、禁地以及自然边疆

by Jonathan Schlesinger, 谢健, 关康 (Translator)

本书荣膺2018年美国亚洲历史学会列文森奖。

乾隆帝曾经盛赞过东北丰饶的物产和独特的自然环境，认为满洲大地是资源富集之地，也是自然生命力的源泉。这里的土地山川生生不息，养育了满洲人以及清朝皇室的祖先，也使其分享了素朴纯真和不竭的生命力。

清朝皇帝通过进贡制度，向满洲和蒙古地区征收毛皮、珍珠、蘑菇、人参等珍稀物产，这些物产不仅仅是物产，而且代表其产地所具有的纯真、丰饶、充满生机等象征意义，作为一种永恒的家园，与皇室有着密切的依存关系。

但这种进贡制度渐渐对满洲和蒙古地区产生了深远的影响，不仅仅造成了环境退化的后果，还形成了复杂的开发与控制的制度和组织。

作者是新清史的新锐，利用了大量满蒙文献，在对东北和蒙古环境史的考察中发现了皇帝对于北部边疆的想象、进贡体系与自然环境的恶化、清朝的奢侈品贸易和消费等诸多因素复杂的互动关系，为我们理解清朝边疆历史提供了新颖的视角。

Genres: History, China, Asia, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2019

Reviews

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at a complex of issues in Qing rule.

The Qing, of course, was a foreign dynasty -- the Manchus. Their attempts to preserve the pure Manchu Way, what with purity, simplicity, manliness, uncorrupted by contact with China, were a major part of this. (Down to an emperor urging that children be allowed to play in the garden in spring and summer, not be pent up on the verenada.)

But it pulled in a lot of other issues. A Korean observed they had all been corrupted into barbaric attire: everyone [of importance, that is] wore fur. The harvesting of "eastern" pearls -- from freshwater mussels in Manuchria. Alos of ginseng. They scorned American ginseng but also cultivated in China or Manchuria ginseng; the legal response was to destroy ginseng farms on finding them, to prevent the fraud. Fur and the decline. The great mushroom rush, where men illegally crossed the border to Mongolia to harvest "steppe mushrooms."

This produces a mix from the symbolic significance of these products, to all the trade issues, to the environmental efforts to restore productivity from overharvesting. Interesting work. Might have helped if I had been a bit more familiar with Qing before I read it -- particularly ruling structure -- but I think most of it can be read between the lines.

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good exploration of the simulated nature of Nature and the material economies based off of natural capital at the time

[Narantsogt Baatarkhuu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned so much about the Qing-era Mongolia, and the Manchus. Heartening to see the historical records jive with (some!) of our contemporary national identity, especially re: environmentalism.

The author curates some really illuminating facts. The hunting practices, the borderland protocols, the imperial clerkship to track fur tributes from the tributaries.

[Tsai Wei-chieh · Rating 4 out of 5]

延续自2016年以来新清史与环境史结合的取向，美国印第安纳大学布鲁明顿分校历史系助理教授谢健（Jonathan Schlesinger）的新著《皮草妆点的世界：清朝治下的野物、净土与自然边缘》（A World Trimmed with Fur: Wild Things, Pristine Places, and the Natural Fringes of Qing Rule）（史丹佛大学出版社，2017）是值得读者注意的一颗明珠。本书主要利用北京、台北和乌兰巴托的满、汉、蒙文档案，为读者展示了另类的清代中国环境保护史。清朝的开疆扩土奠定了现代中国的版图，但伴随而来的人为开发对内亚边疆的自然资源遭受了前所未见的破坏。这种破坏主要是东珠、毛皮与蘑菇等物产的大量采集所造成的。此举除了应付清朝皇室的需求以外，背后也有商业利益的驱动。到了19世纪初，东北河流中的珠蚌已经了无踪迹；采集蘑菇者对蒙古草原造成破坏；北方森林中的毛皮动物在猎人捕杀下濒临绝种。清朝统治者对此大为震惊，因此推行了所谓的“净化”运动，试图恢复关外“纯净”（满文bolgo）的原始状态。具体举措是对盗采活动、汉人移民和贸易进行控制。而清廷所保护的“自然”，其实是一种将环境保护与统治话语结合的新发明。而十九世纪末以降的西方旅行者所见之保存良好的东北自然环境，实际上也正是后来在清朝保护下塑造出来的结果，并非过往东北原生态的反映。虽然在同时期西方也出现了环保运动，但是两者的发起原因其实不尽相同。对清代边疆环境史与物质文化史有兴趣的读者肯定会喜欢本书。

[Rolin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schlesinger writes history that evades categorization. Elements of environmental, cultural, political, economic, material histories all warp together in an interesting take on how the Qing state conceptualized "purity" in "nature" through the consumption and, more importantly, extraction of luxury goods like freshwater pearls, Mongolian steppe mushrooms and animal furs.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and well done book on a topic that touches a lot of different research areas. Strongly suggested for grad courses, intro & conclusion could even be taught to advanced undergrads.

Read for Workshop

[Lex van Groningen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always wondered why fur harvested from the fur seals in the South Shetland Islands (Antarctica) during the from first wave (1819-1820) of fur sealing in the area was sold on the markets of London and Guangzhou (Canton) and was hoping this book would provide more answers to that question. Although the book did not deal with this question directly, I still enjoyed reading the history of Manchuria and Mongolia during the Qing Dynasty. I suppose that by the 1820s the stocks of fur that could be tributed to Beijing were so depleted that merchants providing stocks from outside the Qing territory were fetching good prices for their pelts.
Schlesinger's study also covers the over-exploitation of steppe mushrooms, pearls and ginseng, and how the Qing administration were dealing with these shortages in a similar fashion, viewing the regions that were no longer able to provide these products as areas of 'pristine nature'. These luxury products were used by the Qing elite, as described for example in 红楼梦 (Dream of Red Mansions/Story of the Stone, Cao Xueqin's famous roman from that same period). The strenght of Schlesinger's study lies in the fact that he has been able to compare various historical sources (from Mongolia, Manchuria and China) and by doing so he adds many nuances and avoids over-simplifying the economical, policical and human history of these regions.