經貿發展與臺灣邊疆的變遷：十九世紀之交的蛤仔難

19世紀之交的十餘年之間，蛤仔難（今宜蘭縣蘭陽平原）結束了16世紀以來與外界進行貿易、但沒有漢人大規模拓墾的狀態，漢移民數量在數年之間超越原住民，改變這一平原的經濟與社會狀態，二百餘年來蛤仔難原住民與漢人、清帝國之間既有的關係在短時間之內崩解與重整。本文結合臺灣貿易與開發兩個學術課題的研究成果，論證18世紀臺灣北部的經濟與貿易環境的發展如何促成漢人移墾蛤仔難。例如，邊疆豪強吳沙以三貂為據點所經營的區域貿易，使他茁壯為足以讓淡水廳戒備的邊疆勢力，又在臺灣北部渡過了17世紀下半葉的貿易衰退的狀態後，吳沙有了由區域貿易商到兼作蛤仔難土地開發商的轉折。再者，兩岸貿易的發展使版圖外的蛤仔難成為良好的投資標的，在當地生產、出口大量米穀成為可行且有利可圖的事業，從而吸引資助吳沙移墾計畫的關鍵投資，成為大規模武裝移墾的財務基礎。另一方面，海盜對米穀的覬覦和對移墾經濟的侵擾，則促使清廷加強對當地的政治控制。總結上述，經貿發展是蛤仔難原住民、漢移民以及清廷三者關係重整的重要因素。蛤仔難的例子還顯示，在國家不支持邊疆擴張的區域或時期，特別是在自然與人文環境重重限制地區的民間移墾，經濟與貿易條件的影響是理解當地變化的關鍵。

關鍵字

米；投資；漢人移墾；邊疆變遷；兩岸與區域貿易

並列摘要

Hazinan (Gamalan, modern-day Yilan county) was a stateless zone in eastern Taiwan. Since the sixteenth century, Hazinan aborigines had traded with Han Chinese but still maintained their autonomy. The three-hundred-year status quo abruptly changed after 1796 when tens of thousands of Han Chinese forcibly settled Hazinan. Fourteen years later, Hazinan was unprecedentedly brought under Qing rule, the earliest takeover of such stateless zones in eastern Taiwan. The sudden transformation of Hazinan, as this article argues, should be examined in reference to a still downplayed aspect - the changing conditions of economy and trade in northern Taiwan over the eighteenth century. Regional trade nourished frontiersmen such as Wu Sha, the principle leader of Han colonists. Most likely, Wu Sha convinced himself as well as his investors of the possible returns from the agricultural colonizing plan, as cross-strait rice trade boomed between southeastern China and rice-abundant Taiwan over the eighteenth century. Funds from investors enabled Wu Sha's adoption of militarized reclamation that eventually overcame fierce aboriginal resistance. Hazinan's sustained demands for trade attracted pirates to the newly established migrant society and agricultural economy. The pirates attempted to meet their need for rice in Hazinan because of Qing embargos on rice and other strategic resources. The pirates' need, in turn, could facilitate Hazinan's vital import and export. Structured by trade, the situation convinced the authorities to annex Hazinan in order to eliminate pirates in southeastern China. Trade, therefore, played an essential role in the rapid reconfiguration of the relationship between Hazinan aborigines, Han migrants, and the Qing Empire. Its effect was particularly profound in times and regions that Han expansion lacked state support while encountering restrictive natural and social environments.