Abstract:

In order to comprehend the nature of overseas trade policy in ancient China, one needs to overcome the limitation of judging it by the binarism of “opening up-closing off” and uncover its historical logic. The absolute principle of the Sino-barbarian dichotomy and the order of the world dictates that the overseas trade policy first and foremost gravitated towards “defending against barbarians”, which made equal trading relationships between ancient Chinese dynasties and overseas nations impossible. The complementary economic demands of China and overseas nations led to “acquiring economic needs through trade” in overseas trade policy - a trend that intensified and gradually prioritized financial demands over goods demand. After the Song Dynasty, south-eastern coastal regions’ maritime characteristics became increasingly prominent. Asian maritime trade developed rapidly and became an internal and external driving force that pushed maritime trade policy towards openness, professionalization, and systematization. From the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty to the early period of the Qing Dynasty, overseas trade policy had always adhered to “defending against barbarians” and “acquiring economic needs through trade” under the notion of Sino- barbarian dichotomy and the tributary system, which led to quantitative increase but no qualitative reform. Through the mutual interactions between this quantitative accumulation and the militarily advanced Western powers, as well as different rules of international relations, the Qing Dynasty was made to gradually change its pre-existing course and passively accept new systems and concepts.

Key words: ancient China, overseas trade policy, historical logic, “defending against barbarians”, “acquiring economic needs through trade”