BBC中国故事第五集明朝 Part14 乾隆皇帝为鸦片战争埋下伏笔

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[00:03.20]The emperor wouldn't meet them in Beijing because the British refused to prostrate themselves or "kowtow".皇帝拒绝在北京接见他们，因为英国人拒绝俯首跪拜或者“磕头”。
[00:11.25]So they set up their gifts from Birmingham and Manchester manufacturers outside the capital, at the Summer Palace.所以他们将那些产自伯明翰和曼彻斯特的礼品搁置在首都外的圆明园中。
[00:19.63]By now, the British were frazzled.至此英国人已经疲惫。
[00:22.18]The nine-month sea journey, the weeks overland to Peking.历时九个月的航海行程，奔波于北京的数周。
[00:28.30]And the emperor took them by surprise, he came unannounced.而皇帝的暗访令他们猝不及防。
[00:36.43]The British were very impressed by him as a man.英国人对皇帝印象深刻。
[00:40.69]83 years old, but didn't look a day over 60.已83岁高龄却看似不到60岁。
[00:44.40]His manner, dignified and affable.他礼貌、高贵而且友善。
[00:49.19]He asked if anybody in the embassy spoke Chinese and a 12-year-old page boy called Staunton had learned a bit of Chinese on the journey.他询问使团中是否有人会说汉语，一个12岁的差童斯当东在旅途中学了一点汉语。
[00:57.82]The emperor was so delighted that he gave little Staunton his fine, yellow, silk purse that hung by his belt, containing his favourite Areca nuts.皇帝很高兴地将他挂着腰间的那个精致的黄色丝织荷包赏给了他，里面还有皇帝最喜爱的槟榔果。
[01:09.70]Well, that was quite optimistic for the British, but what followed wasn't.这让英国人极为乐观，但随后的情况却发生逆转。
[01:20.79]The emperor went round looking at the presents, the honourees, the celestial globes, the planetarium, the telescopes, without a flicker on his countenance.皇帝顺道去看了礼物，见了使臣。地球仪、行星仪、望远镜，但却毫无兴趣。
[01:32.98]And he picked up the air pump and then said, "These things are not good enough to amuse a child".他拿起气泵说：“这东西甚至不足以取悦孩童。”
[01:49.65]Deflated by his failure, Macartney returned to Macau, dismissing the Qing state as a crazy old man of war, no longer seaworthy.因失败而泄气的马格尔尼返回澳门，将清政府视为经不起风浪的暮年战争狂人。
[02:00.71]As he saw it, the Qing government was holding the Chinese people back from the benefits of modern civilisation.在他看来，清政府正在阻碍中国人享受现代文明利益的步伐。
[02:07.22]"And a nation that does not advance", he said, "must retrograde and, finally, fall back into barbarism and misery".他说：“一个止步不前的国家必定倒退，最终退化为野蛮和贫穷。”
[02:24.24]But the British simply couldn't take no for an answer.但英国人无法解释被人拒绝。
[02:29.80]Thank you.谢谢。
[02:33.34]If any link in their global trading network was broken, their economy could face disaster.如果他们的全球经济网出现任何缺损，他们的经济都将面临灾难。
[02:40.30]"Our aim", said Macartney, "should be to mould the China trade to the shape that best suits us".马格尔尼说：“我们的目标是将中国贸易塑造为最适合我们的模式。
[02:49.50]Any stopping of that trade would have a severe effect on our position in India, to which it is already immeasurably valuable.对贸易的任何阻碍，都将对我们在印度的地位造成严重影响，因此它有着不可估量的价值。
[03:00.66]It would have an immediate and heavy blow on our own woollen industries and manufacturers back home, the ancient staple of England, 这会对我们国家的毛纺织业和制造商造成直接且沉重的打击，那是过去英国主要的产品，
[03:08.92]and all our other growing imports and manufactures would be instantly convulsed.而我们所有其他在增长的进口商品和制造品都会立刻出现动荡。
[03:19.69]So, the honourable East India Company continued to smuggle opium, despite public outrage back in Britain.光鲜的东印度公司不顾英国国内愤怒的民众，继续走私着鸦片。
[03:26.70]And, soon, the ravages of the drug became apparent in the streets of China, with millions of addicts.很快，毒品的危害在中国街头随处可见。上百万人吸毒成瘾。
[03:36.76]By the 1820s, opium addiction became visible, socially, which means opium dens on the street, people dying off, dosing off on the street.....it's becoming a social problem.到19世纪20年代，鸦片成瘾已经成为明显的社会现象。街上到处是鸦片馆，垂死的吸毒者、正在抽鸦片的吸毒者.......这成为一个社会问题。
[03:52.90]Suddenly, there's a huge increase of court documents relating to this.突然之间，大量的宫廷文件都与这个问题相关了。
[03:57.78]If you search "1790s", there's none.18世纪90年还没有这类文件。
[04:00.14]Then if you go to 1810s, maybe a few, if you go to 1820s, it's a lot, go to 1830s, it's a huge amount.但到了19世纪10年，可能有一些。而到了19世纪20年代，就已经不在少数了。到了19世纪30年代就已经数不胜数了。
[04:08.73]So, I think, by mid-1830s, 1835, 1836, it's obvious they have to do something about this.所以大约到了19世纪30年代，1835、1836年吧，我想他们肯定要采取一点什么措施了。

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BBC中国故事 第五集 明朝 Part14 乾隆皇帝为鸦片战争埋下伏笔

BBC中国故事第五集明朝 Part14 乾隆皇帝为鸦片战争埋下伏笔