自同治末牡丹社事件後，海防成為晚清首要的國防問題之一，其中渤海作為保護京畿的海上前線，更成為北方的防務重心。西方水雷傳入中國後，這種高本益比的防禦利器，切合當時海防的實際需求，逐漸引起清廷主持海防者的注意，後來更被用於渤海的防禦體系。由西方水雷傳入中國的發展史來看，道光年間潘仕成延請美國軍官壬雷斯在廣州研發水雷並在天津試演，可視為清季仿製西方水雷的濫觴。至同光年間，為了掌握水雷這種新兵器的製造技術與軍事應用，江南製造局陸續繙譯了《防海新論》與《水雷秘要》等海防與水雷、魚雷相關的兵書，水雷開始被視為岸防必備的利器。同時，水雷在北洋海防建設中日益重要，在教育訓練和人才培育上，天津機器局等陸續開設了水雷局和水雷學堂訓練專才；在防禦建設上，大沽、旅順與威海衛等渤海沿岸的基地先後設置了水雷營；在戰技操演上，水雷營的營官更撰有《水雷問答圖說》用來訓練士卒。本文試以透過這些主政者的檔案、函稿、奏議與兵書，釐清渤海沿岸防禦中水雷知識的根源和水雷的應用，並探討以下主題：晚清西方水雷的知識是如何傳入中國？《防海新論》等兵書中的水雷戰術與渤海防務間的關聯？渤海沿岸使用的水雷是如何佈設？期透過對上述主題的探索，瞭解西方軍事知識對中國海防的實際影響。

Ever since the Mudan Incident of 1874, the Qing Empire began to see naval defence as a major national defense issue. The Bohai Bay, seaward entrance to Beijing, became the center of northern China’s national defense. Since the introduction of the naval mine into China, this cost-effective defense weapon has attracted the attention of the military. It was later used to protect Bohai Bay from invasion. China has a long tradition of using underwater explosive weapons. During the reign of Daoguang, PAN Shicheng invited U.S. officers to develop the naval mine in Guangzhou and arranged a demonstration in Tianjing. They then authored a book “Shuilei Tushou” (The Underwater Mine with Illustrations). This was the beginning of Qing’s imitation of western naval mines. As a highly cost-effective stationary weapon for coastal defense, it can be used to block the invasion of a sizable fleet during war time. Designers of northern China’s defense, such as LI Hongzhang, saw it as a coastal defense marvel. Books such as A Treatise on Coast Defense and Torpedoes and Torpedo Warfare were translated into Chinese to make more people aware of modern naval mines. Under the guidance of LI Hongzhang, the Beiyang Fleet established a naval mine school to train mine specialists. Then the Qing setup naval mine deployment units at Dagu, Lushun (Port Arthur) and Weihaiwei Naval Bases along Bohai’s coasts to defend Beijing. Based on their own experiences, these naval mine units authored a copy of Naval Mine Q&A with Illustrations(水雷問答圖說) as a training manual. Here we use archives, letters, memoranda, and translated military books by late Qing military officers to learn more about the forming of Qing’s knowledge system for naval mine warfare in the Bohai coastline. How did the knowledge of naval mine entered China? How did they deploy naval mines in the Bohai area? We shall see the whole picture about marine mine’s introduction and its use in the defense of Bohai.