第二次鸦片战争期间英法联军对广州的军事占领（1857-1861）

王天卫

1857年底，英法联军攻陷广州，开始了长达三年十个月的军事占领。由于中外交战和谈判的重心北移，这一时期的广州在第二次鸦片战争史中往往被边缘化，与战争全局呈现出割裂状态。既有研究多未能覆盖整个占领过程，难以形成整体性认知。探讨英法联军为何选择占领广州，以及这一占领为何得以维持，有助于深化理解广州在战争全局乃至中外关系中地位与作用。

本文在第二次鸦片战争史，以及近代中外关系史的视野下，运用中、英、法三语史料，从双重维度展开研究：一是在战争全局下，讨论英法联军的战略意图，清廷的应对措施，考察广州与战争全局走向的互动；二是在区域的视角下，探讨联军军事占领的建立及运作，以及清政府官员与联军的博弈过程。

英法联军占领广州的动机经历多次调整，但始终服务于两国外交目的，而非领土要求。联军选择广州为占领目标，旨在展示武力威胁、获取谈判筹码。《天津条约》规定由广东官府偿付赔款，广州成为联军确保赔款支付的担保。第二次大沽口之战后，军事需求进一步延长了联军的占领时间。随着《北京条约》调整赔款方案，联军提前结束了对广州的占领。

联军占领的实现既依赖其军事力量与管治机制，也与清廷的战略选择密切相关。联军方面，其在广州维持四千人以上的驻军，并通过设立会理华洋政务总局和警队，监视清政府官员的政务活动。清廷方面，其“粤事归粤办”方针未能实现收复广州的目标。该方针要求兼任五口通商大臣的两广总督与联军谈判，同时暗中支持广东团练武装收复广州。在枢廷授意下，广东形成“督抚不同城”的局面。虽然该方针在一定程度上牵制了城内联军，但外交和军事努力均告失败。此外，联军控制范围有限降低了占领的影响，使清政府缺乏主动收复的紧迫性。

本研究表明，近代中外关系史的研究应关注不同地区并行发展的“复调”线索。全局与区域层面的演进及其互动，常共同构建出多声部的历史图景。

关键词：第二次鸦片战争；广州；英法联军；天津条约；北京条约

The Anglo-French Military Occupation of Canton during the Second Opium War, 1857-1861

Tianwei Wang

In late 1857, the Anglo-French allied forces captured Canton, marking the beginning of a military occupation lasting for three years and ten months. However, as the conflict and negotiations subsequently shifted northward, the occupation of Canton has often been marginalized in the historiography of the Second Opium War, appearing disconnected from the broader war. Existing studies have mostly failed to cover the entire time span of the occupation, making it difficult to achieve a comprehensive understanding. Exploring why the allied forces chose to occupy Canton and how this occupation was sustained helps to deepen our understanding of the city’s role in the war and in Sino-Western diplomatic relations.

This study, situated within the themes of the Second Opium War and modern Sino-Western relations, uses Chinese, English, and French primary sources to examine the period from two dimensions: first, from the perspective of the Second Opium War, analysing the strategic objectives of the allied forces and the Qing court’s responses, while considering the interaction between Canton and the overall trajectory of the war; second, from a regional perspective, investigating the establishment and operation of the military occupation, as well as the power struggles between Qing officials and the allied forces.

The motives behind the Anglo-French occupation of Guangzhou underwent multiple changes but consistently served diplomatic purposes rather than territorial claims. The allied forces chose Guangzhou as a site of occupation to demonstrate military strength and gain leverage in negotiations. The Treaties of Tianjin signed respectively between China and Great Britain, and between China and France, stipulated that Guangdong’s provincial authorities were responsible for indemnity payments, making Canton a guarantee for securing these payments. After the Second Battle of the Taku Forts, military necessity further prolonged the occupation. The subsequent revision of indemnity terms in the Conventions of Peking led to the allied forces’ early withdrawal.

The durability of the occupation can be attributed to the allied forces’ military strength and their governance mechanisms, as well as the Qing court’s strategic choices. On the allied side, they maintained a garrison of over 4,000 soldiers in Canton and established the Allied Commission and a police force to monitor Qing officials. On the Qing side, the court’s policy of “handling Guangdong affairs within Guangdong” failed to recover Canton. This policy tasked the Viceroy of Liangguang—who also served as Superintendent of Trade for the Five Ports—with negotiating with the allied forces, while secretly encouraging local militia forces to retake the city. Under the Qing court’s direction, the Viceroy of Liangguang and the Governor of Guangdong were stationed in different locations. Although this approach constrained the allied forces within Canton city to a certain extent, both diplomatic and military efforts ultimately failed to retake Canton. Moreover, the allied forces’ limited control beyond Canton reduced the occupation’s immediate impact, diminishing the Qing court’s urgency to actively retake the city.

This research suggests that studies of modern Sino-foreign relations should pay attention to the “polyphonic” narratives of parallel developments across different regions. The interplay between macro-level and regional dynamics often constructs a multi-layered historical landscape.

Key Words：The Second Opium War; Canton; Anglo-French allied forces; Treaties of Tianjin; Conventions of Beijing