从《点石斋画报》看西方科技在中国的传播

An Analysis on the Transmission of Western Science and Technology in China from the Stand of Dianshizhai Pictorial

创刊于1884年的《点石斋画报》择“新奇可喜之事”绘制成图,辅以文字说明,开创了晚清新闻画报的先河。统计可见,在该画报全部4600余幅图画中,与科技相关的占了280余幅,尤以西方新技术发明为主。相比于其它的新闻报刊,《点石斋画报》包含了更多的信息,在传播效果上也起到更加直观的作用。同时,《点石斋画报》还体现了中国人对西方科技传入中国的态度:一方面反映了接受和认同的情况,如对于西医手术和照相术等的赞美;另一方面反映了排斥和抵触的情绪,如认为修建铁路破坏风水、谣传用死者之魂炼成电气等。《点石斋画报》的特殊地位使之具有科技史、科技传播史研究的价值。

Originated in 1884, Dianshizhai Pictorial, which made pictures with novel and delectable news, supplemented with explanations in words, initiated the pictorial press of the late Qing Dynasty. Among all of the over 4 600 pictures, 280 ones ware related to science and technology, most of which were about western new technologies involving train, ship, submarine, fire balloon, and telegraph, etc. Compared with the other newspapers, Dianshizhai Pictorial contained more information, and thus a more intuitionistic result was generated in transmission. At the same time, Dianshizhai Pictorial was also the reflection of Chinese peeples attitudes towards the western science and technology transmission into China: on one hand, it reflected the acceptance and recognition of Chinese people,e.g. on the issues of medical operations and photography; on the other hand, it reflected the repulsion and Sino-Western cultural conflicts, e.g. the idees of railways destroying geomantic omen, and rumors that the spirits of the dead were used to send telegraph, etc. On account of the peculiar position that Dianshizhai Pictorial occupied, its value in the studies on history of science and technology as well as communication of science and technology stands to reason.