《紅樓夢》中的東南亞貢物、土特產書寫：「歷史」與「文學」的對話

Abstract

《紅樓夢》細膩書寫貴族世家之日常生活，尤其在物質文化層面的描繪，充分展現清代貴族的品味與審美觀。小說中處處可見貴族與「貢物」之間之密切關聯：小說人物不僅有義務向朝廷進貢、備辦貢品，亦能於府邸日常中使用貢物，甚至作為贈禮贈予親朋好友，偶爾亦與家僕分享。然雖整體文本傳達「崇尚貢物」之風，明確書寫「進貢貨物」者，僅見於二例，即暹羅進貢之「茶」與「豬」。此外，小說亦多處描寫貴族日常所用之東南亞土特產，如沉香、燕窩、象牙、檳榔等，可見此類物品已然融入清代貴族的生活體系，成為日常所需之物。基於此現象，本文聚焦於東南亞地區整體的「貢物」與「土特產」，透過細讀方式自《紅樓夢》文本出發，結合歷史資料進行對讀，並輔以十七至十九世紀間的東南亞本土史料與西方文獻，從跨文化視角重新詮釋東南亞物品於清代貴族社會中的文化意涵與物質角色。經過仔細考察，本文發現：小說所載暹羅進貢之「茶」與「豬」實有具體歷史原型，非純屬虛構。而「暹羅」一詞在小說中的使用，實乃外來者視角下對東南亞大陸物品之泛稱，作為象徵性標籤，而非具體的政治實體指涉。此外，本文亦觀察曹雪芹於物質書寫中一慣用手法，即賦予一般貿易商品「貢物」之象徵特質，藉以提升其地位，並增添符合貴族品味的稀罕性、珍貴性與專屬性。最後，本文並透過分析東南亞與中國之間的貿易關係，進一步探討小說中東南亞土特產之來源、價格與輸入管道，以更具體掌握其於小說所處時代背景中的物質樣貌與文化價值，進而更深入理解清代貴族的生活品味與作者的創作意圖。

The Dream of the Red Chamber offers a refined portrayal of the daily life of Qing dynasty aristocratic families, particularly in its representation of material culture, which reflects their aesthetic values and tastes. The novel presents a close relationship between aristocrats and tribute goods: characters not only fulfill their obligations to prepare tributes for the imperial court but also incorporate them into daily life-offering them as gifts to relatives and friends and occasionally sharing them with servants—altogether revealing a cultural atmosphere that esteems tribute. However, “tea” and “pig” from Siam are the only goods explicitly designated as tribute items in the novel. In addition, a variety of local products from Southeast Asia—including agarwood, bird’s nest, ivory, and betel nut—are depicted as part of the noble household’s daily consumption, indicating their full integration into Qing aristocratic life. This study focuses on Southeast Asian tribute goods and local products. It combines close textual analysis with historical cross-referencing, drawing on 17th–19th century Southeast Asian and Western historical sources to reinterpret their material and cultural significance from a cross-cultural perspective. The findings reveal that the Siamese tea and pig mentioned in the novel have concrete historical prototypes and are not purely fictional. The use of the word “Siam” in the novel reflects an outsider’s perspective that labels various goods from Mainland Southeast Asia under a single, generalized name—one that serves more as a symbolic reference than a geopolitical identifier. Furthermore, Cao Xue-qin (曹雪芹) often elevates ordinary trade goods by attributing tribute-like qualities to them, enhancing their rarity, exclusivity, and alignment with elite taste. Finally, this study analyzes the provenance, value, and circulation of Southeast Asian goods in the novel, offering a more concrete understanding of their material and cultural roles within the historical setting and providing deeper insight into Qing aristocratic life and the author’s literary vision.