鸦片战争前，英国人小斯当东因其亲身参与 1800 年“朴维顿号案”、1807 年“海王星号案”以及 1810 年翻译出版《大清律例》等重要历史事件而对中国法做出的“事实判断”，初步形成有别于西方传统的“褒华式”和“贬华式”的第三种法律东方主义话语，尤其是对贬华式法律东方主义话语做了回应。及至 19 世纪 30 年代中英关系巨变之际，小斯当东意图用第三种法律东方主义话语调和英国对华垄断贸易与自由贸易两种政策，将西人关于中国法的“价值判断”与“事实判断”杂糅一处，形成其折中的中国法律观。第三种法律东方主义话语要求在华英国人遵守中国法，以维持英国对华贸易稳步发展，本质上仍是为了维护英帝国在华利益。

小斯当东, 法律东方主义, 东印度公司, 自由贸易, 翻译

Before the Opium War, Sir George Thomas Staunton, through his involvement in key historical events such as the “Providence Case”(1800), the “Neptune Case”(1807), and his translation and publication of The Ta Tsing Leu Lee in 1810, developed a unique discourse of legal Orientalism. It aimed to reconcile contradictions in Britain’s policies toward China, particularly the tension between monopolistic and free trade practices. During a period of significant shifts in Sino-British relations in the 1830s, Staunton sought to transform “value judgments” into “factual judgments” regarding Chinese law, offering a syncretic view of Chinese legal traditions to the West. The third discourse of legal Orientalism proposed that British interests in China would best be served by respecting Chinese law, thereby ensuring the stable development of British trade and ultimately protecting Britain’s imperial interests in China.

George Thomas Staunton, legal Orientalism, East India Company, free trade, translation