明清临清贡砖生产及其社会影响

明清两代修建北京皇宫各大殿和紫禁城城墙,以及皇家陵寝所用大青砖,绝大部分是山东临清州烧造。从明初到清末的四五百年中,临清因京杭大运河的贯通而成为北方重要的工商业城市和漕运咽喉,又因其便利的交通和适宜的土质等特殊优势成为明清两朝的贡砖烧造基地。临清的贡砖生产虽间有停废,但一直受到朝廷的严格掌控,形成了一套系统的管理制度和生产方式。大规模的贡砖烧造一方面促进了临清工商业的繁荣和生产结构的改变,同时也加重了民众和漕运官军负担,对明清时期的临清社会带来了巨大的影响。

The Production and Social Influence of Tributary Bricks Made in Linqing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

In the construction of the palaces and walls of the imperial cities of Beijing in the Ming and Qing dynasties,as well as in the building of imperial structures at the royal tombs, the bricks used were mostly fired in Linqing,Shandong province.In the period of nearly five centuries from the early Ming Dynasty to the closing of the Qing Dynasty,Linqing became a major industrial city of northern China and a key port as a result of its strategic location on the Grand Canal linking Beijing and Hangzhou.Its advantages resulting from its infrastructural convenience and its excellent clay made it the centre of the production of bricks for use by the emperor in the Ming and Qing dynasties.Although production of these tributary bricks terminated intermittently,it remained totally under the control of the court as an integral part of their management and production system.The large-scale firing of tributary bricks led to the prosperity of industry in Linqing and the transformation of its production structures,but at the same time added to the work-load and responsibilities of both canal boatmen and the officials responsible for the management of transport along the Grand Canal.These developments had a profound effect on the society of Linqing in the Ming and Qing dynasties.