中国古代“外国志记”与亚洲视域之形成

“Foreign Records” in Ancient China and the Formation of the Perspective of Asia

佛教传入中国以后,"华夏-四夷"的"中国中心"观被印度的"洲"及"四国"世界观所冲击,形成了有别于"四夷"的"外国"视域,并以"志""记"(合称"志记")的撰著形式加以呈现。各时代"外国志记"及外国视域的依托背景各有不同。晋唐时代主要依托佛教,宋元时代主要依托国际贸易,明代(前期)主要依托政治外交。晋唐时代求法僧"志记"所呈现的主要是中亚南亚的"佛国",宋元明时代的"外国志记"所呈现的是东亚、东南亚、南亚、中东地区通商各国,都属于"亚洲-东方"世界,而对西方(欧美)世界则记之甚略、知之甚少,因此,上述"外国志记"中呈现的并非完整的世界视域,而只是"亚洲(东方)视域"。这也是我们为什么把"外国志记"与"中国的东方学"联系起来加以关联考察的理由。从中国的东方学史的角度看,这些"外国志记"构成了中国东方学的史前史形态。

After the spread of Buddhism, the view of China-centered "Hua Xia-Si Yi" was impacted by India’s world view of "Zhou" and "Si Guo", forming a foreign view different from "Si Yi", which was presented in the form of "Zhi" and "Ji"(collectively known as "Zhi Ji"). There are different backgrounds of foreign records and foreign perspectives in different times. The Jin and Tang Dynasties mainly relied on Buddhism, the Song and Yuan Dynasties mainly relied on international trade,and the early Ming Dynasty mainly relied on political diplomacy. The records of Buddhist monks in Jin and Tang Dynasties mainly show the "Buddhist kingdom" in Central Asia and South Asia. The Foreign Records in Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties show the trading countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. They all belong to the "Asia-East" world, but they know little about the western(European and American) world, It’s just an Asian(Eastern) perspective. This is also the reason why we associate "foreign records" with "Chinese Orientalism". From the perspective of the history of Chinese Orientalism, these "foreign records" constitute the prehistoric form of Chinese Orientalism.