近代新型都市知識櫥窗：晚清外交使節香港見聞錄分析

1875年，清帝國首次派遣正式駐外公使，一般來說，外交使團在前往歐美途中通常會在香港停留數日，並記載親身之見聞。在此之前，晚清知識份子學習西學常透過翻譯之書籍等管道間接獲得，有學者形容其為一種虛擬的、可自由汲取內容的「知識倉庫」，而香港具有中西文化交匯、不受清廷干預之政治環境，及對周邊輸出西方文化等獨特性，這些特點正給予晚清外交使節刺激，在他們的著作中可發現不少相關的觀察，而當香港的事物被外交使節記述成書，便又為「知識倉庫」增添了新的收藏。本文以1875－1900年間晚清駐外使節之日記或遊記為材料，檢視其中與香港相關之記載，通過分析其內容呈現相關歷史背景以及東西文化差異對出訪使節之影響。同時也能發現隨著自強運動之開展，對西方事物了解加深，使節之見聞內容也將隨之變化；此外，在使節見聞可以發現內容上有前後傳承之情形，足以證明晚清使節通過見聞之記載與閱讀，建構了以香港為中心之文化傳播網絡，而晚清使節們對香港之關注，也突顯了香港這個近代東亞新型自由貿易港市所具有之重要參考價值。

關鍵字

香港；晚清外交使節；文化傳播；知識倉庫；西學

並列摘要

In 1875, the Qing Empire dispatched a diplomatic envoy for the first time. Generally speaking, diplomatic corps usually stay in Hong Kong for a few days on their way to Europe or United States and record their personal experience. Prior to this, late Qing intellectuals learned Western knowledge often through the translation of books and other pipeline indirectly, some scholars described it as a virtual ＂stock of knowledge＂, where people can extractable content freely. And Hong Kong has some uniqueness: a convergence of Chinese and Western culture, the political environment that would not be interfered by the Qing Empire, and exported the Western culture to the periphery area, these characteristics stimulated the mind of the late Qing diplomatic envoys. Many relevant observations can be found in their works, and when things in Hong Kong were described by diplomatic envoys, it had also added some new collection to the ＂stock of knowledge＂. This article uses the diaries or travel notes of the diplomatic envoys in the late Qing Dynasty from 1875 to 1900 as the research material. By examining and analyzing the contents related to Hong Kong in these works, it presents the relevant historical background, and the influence on the diplomatic envoys from cultural differences between the East and the West. And along with the development of the self-strengthening movement, it would deepen the understanding of Western affairs of people, therefore, the observations of the diplomatic envoys in Hong Kong would change accordingly. Furthermore, in the case of the envoys, it can be found that there was a situation in which the content of observations about Hong Kong be passed down. This is enough to prove that a cultural transmission network centered on Hong Kong things, be constructed by the late Qing diplomatic envoys through recorded and read the diaries or travel notes in Hong Kong. And the attention of the late Qing diplomatic envoys to Hong Kong also highlight the important reference value of Hong Kong - a new type free trade port city in modern East Asia.