清廷領臺後的土地開發採行「請墾制度」，只要非屬民番的「荒地」，百姓即可向所屬知縣提出申請，經確認無礙民番，即可取得墾照、告示等文件，招佃前往拓墾，最後再由官府派遣書役丈量陞科，成為民業。雖然如此，請墾制度在康熙年間因為法規之不同，而有「募墾」、「報墾」以及「勸墾」的差別。更重要的是，請墾制度的差別反映了臺灣農墾、商貿以及社會的階段性發展。清領之後積極的招民墾荒政策，在康熙五十四年夏天有了急遽的轉變，在皇帝突如其來的全臺皆屬番地之指示下，地方官員只能在朝廷新規與社會拓殖熱潮之間，尋求妥協之道。由於「荒地」現在被等同於「熟番地權」，制度上的墾荒主角須從漢民轉變為熟番，同時凸顯熟番地權。這就是康熙五十四年到雍正二年期間，臺灣突然發展起來的「生番歸化」以及「贌墾番地」的新模式，而兩者均凸顯荒地屬於熟番地權。而這也告訴我們，要討論清初治臺政策，不能簡單使用「封禁」與「開發」來對應康熙或雍正等朝代。

Land reclamation in Qing Taiwan (1683-1895) followed the standard procedure generally called “qingken (請墾).” Civilians could apply for cultivating the island’s empty land and magistrates issued permits and announcements, entitling the applicants to recruit tenants to perform the actual reclamation. This paper offers an in-depth historical analysis of three major types of the qingken system during Kangxi reign, namely muken (募墾, government-sponsored and civil service degree-holder-led reclamation), baoken (報墾, civilian-initiated reclamation), and quanken (勸墾, official-encouraged and civilian-performed reclamation). I further discusses the impact of aboriginal land policy in 1715 and two new modes of land reclamation practice by mountain and plains aborigines between 1715 and 1724. The research thus argues against the neglect thesis of Qing frontier policy and the dichotomic view of Kangxi’s and Yongzheng’s policies towards Taiwan.

請墾制度; 熟番地權; 治臺政策; 康熙; 民業

land reclamation regulation; aborigine land rights; Qing policy on Taiwan; Kangxi reign; people’s property