中國アヘンをめぐる政策論爭 : 署貴州巡撫李用淸のアヘン生産禁止論を中心に

Abstract

In late Qing period, especially from the 1850s on, the production of opium began to spread all over China, in spite of strict prohibition against poppy cultivation at that time. Only a few influential officials insisted on the prohibition, on the grounds that the cultivation of poppies reduced grain crops. They argued that poppy cultivation which contributed to famines should be prohibited. On the other hand, a stronger party of officials advocated the legalization of opium production at home in order to compete with the imports of opium from abroad. They wanted to exclude all opium imports to stem the outflow of silver. Li Hongzhang strongly supported this idea. The Qing government changed its policy, deciding not to interfere with poppy cultivation while nominally still keeping it illegal. Thereafter, native opium production expanded year after year, until at the end of 1880s native opium production reached three or four times the amount of imported opium. Robert Hart, the Inspector General of Chinese Maritime Customs, became aware of the potential value of native opium as a source of revenue and advised Tsungli Yamen to levy a heavy tax on it. Needless to say, the official taxation of native opium meant the legalization of native production. Tsungli Yamen and the central government accepted Hart's idea, and provincial officials were ordered to tax native opium and precisely report the amount collected from it. The Qing government thus changed its policy from prohibition to legalization due to its great need for revenue.