蒸汽推動的歷史：蒸汽技術與晚清中國社會變遷(1840-1890)

本文討論鴉片戰爭之後，中國的文化與社會體系如何因為蒸汽技術的引進而產生變化。蒸汽機是推動西洋工業革命的推手，工具機與工程繪圖則是製造蒸汽機過程中不可或缺的技術。前者是精密製造的工具，後者則是技術人員間的溝通工具，而中國技術傳統之中卻缺乏此二項核心技術。從1840年代中國人目擊英國蒸汽船，就開始從錯誤中實驗蒸汽技術，進而在1860年代設立機構，也就是製造局，引進工具機、聘請西洋技術人員，教導中國工人蒸汽技術的知識與技巧。1860年代到1880年代之間，製造局在蒸汽技術上有長足的進步，但是卻因政府財政困難，發展受到限制。另外，私人或清朝政府關於發展技術的其他計畫，也因為缺乏聚集資本的制度而受限。然而公司制度已然引進中國，成為未來中國工業技術發展中，用以集資的重要機制。本文的結論是，晚清中國發現了蒸汽機作為動力的來源，而引進蒸汽技術，是中國在技術、文化與社會的革命性改變。

關鍵字

技術；蒸汽機；工具機；繪圖；制度

並列摘要

This article examines how steam technology influenced Chinese culture and society after the First Opium War. The steam engine had been the heart of the Industrial Revolution in the West. Machine tools and technical drawings were the essential elements in the process of building it. Yet the Chinese technological tradition lacked these two elements. Although the Chinese misunderstood the steam mechanism when they witnessed British steamships during the First Opium War, they soon learned from trial and error how the mechanism worked as well as the importance of machine tools and technical drawings. In the 1860s, to build steamships and produce modern weapons, the Qing government established modern shipyards and arsenals, importing machine tools and hiring foreign technicians to train Chinese workmen. However, the fiscal strain caused by the Taiping Rebellion and a shift in government policy caused the Qing government divert funds from supporting domestic shipyards to purchasing foreign warships. As well, the lack of institutions that could pool capital made both private entrepreneurs and government projects reluctant to employ steam technology. Nevertheless, the introduction of the corporation allowed for the capital investments necessary to develop steam technology in the late Qing. This article concludes that employing steam power led to revolutionary changes in Chinese technology, culture, and society.