清代臺灣土地制度的變化與經營：彰化楊志申家族的個案研究

Abstract

本文以清代楊志申家族為例，分析漢人墾戶如何利用不同制度獲得土地拓墾機會，並在此過程中究竟如何獲利和累積資本，得以在無數來臺進行土地開發的漢人中脫穎而出，取得經濟優勢地位，以及在此期間和國家、不同人群的互動。本研究以宋怡明（Michael Szonyi）「制度套利」的觀點來觀察雍正至嘉慶初年楊志申家族在彰化地區的土地投資事業，探討在國家治理之下，清代臺灣漢人移民因應不同制度，採取各種策略或利用制度謀利來取得土地拓墾機會，並以此評估土地投資獲利過程。同時進一步理解18世紀來臺的移民，如何在資源有限以及制度的規範下，以最小成本做出有利自身、家族發展的選擇，並運用各項資源獲取最大利益和累積資本。清代楊志申家族在彰化地區的土地事業牽涉到番地和界外土地，本研究藉由楊家的個案分析，指出楊家利用首報陞科、擔任番社佃戶、參與軍工匠制度下的一環，以及乾隆55年（1790年）界外已墾田園陞科和番屯制度來取得原先為番社或界外的禁墾土地。從楊家的個案討論中，會發現在番地或是界外土地的拓墾中，由於清廷的熟番與番界政策，限制漢人移民往番地和界外發展，使得漢人移民需借用不同身分來符合制度規定下得以在番地、界外活動的人群。同時，人民也會想方設法製作出一套表面上符合制度的身分、契約或說法來保障土地利益。楊家的案例也說明在不同區域和制度下，漢人移民也相應發展出不同的應對策略，並且和各族群也產生相異互動的模式，得以觀察地方細部的互動過程。楊家的土地事業除了彰化地區外，也遠達臺灣南、北部，但在乾隆年間楊家將資源集中在彰化水田化事業，並在獲利後即往彰化北部、邊區推進，顯示漢人移民的土地投資發展和轉向。This study uses the Yang Zhi‑shen family in Qing‑dynasty Taiwan as a case study to analyze how Chinese pioneer families made use of different institutional arrangements to obtain opportunities for land reclamation, how they profited and accumulated capital in the process so as to stand out among numerous Chinese pioneer families, and how they interacted with the state and various social groups during this period.This study adopts Michael Szonyi’s concept of “regulatory arbitrage” to examine the Yang Zhi-shen family’s land investments in Changhua from the Yongzheng period to the early Jiaqing period. It explores how Chinese immigrants in Taiwan during the Qing‑dynasty, under national governance, adopted various strategies or took advantage of institutional arrangements to secure opportunities for land development, and evaluates the processes through which they profited from such investments. At the same time, it seeks to further understand how eighteenth‑century immigrants to Taiwan, operating under limited resources and institutional constraints, made choices that minimized costs while benefiting their own and their families’ development, and how they obtained maximum benefits and accumulated capital.The land business of the Yang Zhi-shen family in Changhua involved both aboriginal lands and lands beyond the official boundary. This study shows that they obtained lands originally forbidden for reclamation by using various institutional mechanisms—such as first‑land tax registration, serving as tenant farmers under the aborigines, participation in the warship factory system, the policy of reporting and promoting out‑of‑boundary land, and the aborigine military colonies system in 1790. The case reveals that, constrained by Qing policies, Chinese immigrants often adopted alternative identities to meet official requirements. They also created identities, contracts, or statements that appeared to comply with regulations in order to secure and protect their land interests.The Yang family case also shows that Chinese immigrants adopted different strategies in different regions and under different systems, and developed distinct patterns of interaction with various ethnic groups, revealing the nuanced processes of local engagement. Beyond the Changhua area, the Yang family’s land enterprises extended to southern and northern Taiwan. However, they concentrated their resources on paddy‑field development in Changhua, and after gaining profits, expanded into northern Changhua and border areas during the Qianlong period, illustrating the evolution and shifting focus of Chinese immigrants’ land investments.