2023-5-14

作為大國國粹的賭具，不但源遠流長，花樣翻新，而且還遠播海外，揚我國威，Crazy Rich Asian 中的麻將牌，就是一例。

在大英博物館的藏品中，就有四百七十多枚泰國華僑組織發行的瓷質的豬仔幣，最早於十七十八世紀的時候用於在華人開的賭城裡面當賭具，後來就在當地流通，得到過當局承認，用於豬仔販運和其他貨幣功能了。據說這類賭具存世量不大，在美國國家歷史博物館裡，只藏有叄枚。馬來亞華人博物館中，也只有11枚復製品。

• Refers to the small porcelain tokens issued by Chinese organisations in Thailand in the 19th century. These were initially issued as gambling tokens but were also used more generally as a token currency. HＡRamsden, 'Siamese porcelain and other tokens' (Jun Kobayagawa Co., Numismatic Publishers, Yokohama, Japan, 1911), notes that these porcelain tokens were issued in Chinese-owned gambling houses also known as hong) between the mid-17th and mid-18th centuries, and circulated locally as token currency as far as the issuer's authority was trusted.

無獨有偶，維多利亞博物館中，也藏有叄十六枚豬仔幣。可是該博物館對豬仔幣的歷史和功用，都所知寥寥，不置可否。

• One small box containing 36 tokens made of porcelain, stoneware, or glass, Chinese or Japanese, mainly 19th century. The tokens vary in diameter from ½ inch to 1 inch, and in thickness from 1/8 inch to ¼ inch. The majority are circular; others are hexagonal or octagonal; one is oval. The material is white or yellowish porcelain of varying quality, except for two grey stoneware and one of green glass. Though four are quite plain, the majority have Chinese or Japanese characters on them painted in blue, incised, or stamped in relief. In addition to the inscriptions, a few ornamental motives appear – a crab, a tiger, a fish, and a relief head of the young Queen Victoria, perhaps taken from an English coin or postage stamp.

在廣東華僑博物館、廣東省博物館、中山市博物館和北京的中國華僑歷史博物館裡，也總共藏有四十六枚這種豬仔幣。在華僑歷史博物館的專文介紹中說：1860年，清政府被迫與西方列強簽訂《北京條約》，其中規定清政府准許外國公司在中國招募華工出國。此後，華南沿海地區居民通過契約、賒單、自由華工等途徑和身份下南洋、闖美洲討生活，也有相當多的沿海居民被拐騙、擄掠至海外從事艱苦體力勞動。部分南洋華工終年勞動，所得僅能消費在煙、賭、酒、色上，無法改善自己的處境，更無法贍養國內的親屬，往往最終身無分文，客死他鄉。以契約勞工方式前來馬來亞謀生的苦力多數被安排到礦場或種植園內工作。部分礦場或種植園頭家以特製的代用幣來支付工資，俗稱豬仔錢。這些代用幣由頭家自行製造，多數以瓷、陶、金屬作原料，並加上各自的特殊印記，僅流通於各自礦場或種植園內，是加強控制和束縛苦力的手段之一。豬仔錢是海外華工辛酸血淚史的重要物證。記得在不久前看過的一個關於下南洋新加坡的電視劇中，有類似的介紹。

• 華工出國後，許多種植園主、礦場主在支付華工工錢時部分或全部以票券或代用幣來支付，這些代用幣就是俗稱的豬仔錢。豬仔錢只能在種植園主、礦場主開設的商店、鴉片館、賭館和妓院等場所使用，不能在市面流通，從而加強了對華工的人身控制和經濟剝削。豬仔錢多為陶瓷所制，目前存世量不大。豬仔錢上通常印有不同種植園、礦場等的標誌字號，形狀多樣，工藝上則有青花、青花釉里紅、粉彩等品種。主要產自廣東、福建，潮州窯、德化窯是主要出產地。

豬仔錢在國內甚為罕見，華僑博物院收藏的30枚豬仔錢有圓形、方形、八角形、葫蘆形等，一面印有如長發、太興、美利公司、廣順定記、德盛公司等字樣，或者印有動物圖桉如龜、蝴蝶、雙魚等；另一面文字如方、五十文、錢、寶、盛等，或者同樣印有動物圖桉。這些豬仔錢由原新加坡石叻坡文化民俗館創辦人陳來華先生於2004年捐贈。廣東華僑博物館收藏的一枚豬仔錢為圓形，有邊廓，正背面分別銘有興和利字樣，應為製作公司的名號。該藏品由已故新加坡華人收藏家楊永曦於2009年10月28日捐贈。中山市博物館收藏的一組十枚豬仔錢是由陶土燒制而成，也均為瓷質，通體施白釉，底部為素胎，在淺浮凋紋飾之上塗有薄厚不均的彩釉。這批豬仔錢正面標註的農場、莊園或者礦山的名號有茂順成、萬發公司、興和等，背面有的無字，有的有錢、玉、一百等字樣，形狀樣式不一，有六角形、八角形、蝴蝶形、菱形等，但都是僱傭華工的農場主、莊園主或者礦主為了控制華工的自由、剝削華工血汗的實物證明。這批藏品於2017年12月13日由中山市博物館徵集收藏。廣東省博物館珍藏的五枚豬仔錢，則是華僑後裔楊豪先生從菲律賓帶回的，五枚豬仔錢，均為瓷質，通體施白釉，底部為素胎，在淺浮凋紋飾之上塗有薄厚不均的藍釉。五枚豬仔錢有兩種形制：一種是圓形的， 有叄枚，正面中淺浮凋有龜、鹿、魚叄種紋飾，背面刻八卦紋一周，中央印一錢字。

• 據史料記載，一名豬仔的身價約100元左右，豬仔與雇主所定立的合同，一般是每月工資5元，期限為3年，工資總計180元，其中100元由雇主帶付給販運者，當作預支，剩餘的80元作為叄年勞役期的零用錢。雇主為引誘華工消費，以達到無限延長賣身期限之目的，在種植園內開設食肆，供應酒肉，任由華工賒賬；或開設賭局、煙館、妓院，引誘華工耗費積蓄。意志不堅、貪圖口腹的華工往往欠債纍纍，不能自拔，被迫續訂契約，繼續牛馬生活，最終困頓老死於異鄉山林。豬仔貿易由19世紀起，一直持續到20世紀中期才予以終止。據不完全統計，中國華工被拐賣出洋作苦力的約有百萬人，作為豬仔輸入到東南亞各國的亦有數十萬人。

• Porcelain tokens were first used in old Siam as counters for a game called Fantan. The game was one of many played in the Chinese-run gambling houses called hongs. Over time they came to be used as currency within the hong owners' districts and were known as pees. Porcelain gaming tokens, issued by Chinese-owned gambling houses were widely used as money in Siam during the 18th and 19th centuries.

這些陶瓷賭具或錢幣，都是在大陸的華僑之鄉福建德化和廣東潮州窯特別燒制的，而能有這樣的經營頭腦和想得出這麽損的主意的，歸根結蒂也都是一些勤勞勇敢的國人菁英，也就是所謂的僑領和不法商販。在巨大的利益驅使下，這些國人和華人中的領袖人物不惜欺騙、誘拐、綁架甚至直接擄掠自己的同胞兄弟，把他們當豬仔一樣販運國外。且當時的中外官府也並不嚴禁此事，睜一隻眼閉一隻眼，這種無本萬利的買賣，才大行其道，對於蛇頭人販子而言，就更是冇走雞。

• In the early 19th century Chinese gambling houses in Bangkok produced porcelain tokens for use as gambling counters. They would exchange them on demand for silver, and changed the designs frequently in order to pre-empt forgeries. At the time there was a shortage of silver for coinage, and the porcelain tokens soon became a popular form of small change in the city. Why porcelain? - Siam had no real porcelain manufacturing industry existing at that time, and therefore gambling houses felt safe that the local people could not produce counterfeits. That is why the porcelain tokens were imported from China. The control of these tokens by the Siamese government became more and more difficult, and at last in 1871, it became necessary to prohibit and stop completely all circulation of these counters. However, the circulation of these tokens continued long after their prohibition. After the turn of the century, gambling was prohibited everywhere except in Bangkok, and after a decade, gambling was prohibited there as well, rendering the tokens useless. The last gambling house in Bangkok shut down its operation with the introduction of the governmental lottery in 1917.

於是國人害國人，內卷窩裡鬥，就升華成為了大國國粹，是世界歷史上的獨有特色和亮麗風景。