The Establishment Of Consuls Of Qing Dynasty In Dutch Colonies In Southeast Asia

Sending envoys abroad was an important way for the Qing government to protect overseas Chinese,and also a key link for China to integrate into the international community and diplomatic modernization.Since the Ming Dynasty,many people in Fujian and Guangdong have immigrated to Nanyang.They are united by blood,geography and faith,helping each other to create a new life.However,the Chinese working and living in Nanyang were generally discriminated and abused by the colonial government.Since 1882,in order to protect the overseas Chinese,China and the Netherlands have been negotiating intermittently on the issue of establishing consuls in Dutch colonies,which lasted for 30 years.Li Fengbao,Lv Haihuan,Lu Zhengxiang and other envoys abroad have made unremitting efforts to solve the problems of setting up funds,selection of officials and nationality of overseas Chinese.In 1911,China and the Netherlands signed an agreement on the establishment of consuls.At last,the overseas Chinese in the Dutch colony ended their wandering life.From the perspectives of overseas Chinese,the Qing government and the Dutch government,this paper discusses the origin and process of the establishment of consuls in Dutch colonies.Furthermore,the paper examines the changes of social power of overseas Chinese in the process of social transformation.It is found that the policy of Dutch colony,the competition of the colonial powers in the South and the ability of diplomats are all the factors that affect the establishment of consuls.For the overseas Chinese in Nanyang,the significance of establishing a consulate is not only to protect the safety of life and property,but also to maintain the tradition of Chinese autonomy.For the Qing government,the establishment of consulates was not only to protect the overseas Chinese and win favor,but also to strive for more overseas Chinese funds to support domestic construction.For the Netherlands,it has been very difficult to deal with colonial uprisings and other colonial threats.It is no wonder that the Netherlands did not allow the Qing government to set up consuls so as not to disturb the current order of the colonies.Because of the conflict of interests,the diplomatic negotiations of the Qing government to establish consuls in the Dutch colonies were full of contradictions.The process of the Qing government establishing consuls in the Dutch colonies is not only the process of the Qing government re recognizing the value of overseas Chinese,but also the process of China's diplomatic modernization.It has left a lot of valuable experience and Enlightenment for people.