从"西域"到"西洋"——郑和远航与人类文明史的重大转折

From the "Western Regions" to "Occident": Zheng HeS Navigation and the Important Turning of Human History of Civilization

追寻全球化的缘起,自古以来,人类交往的主要途径是陆路。西汉张骞凿空西城,东汉甘英望洋兴叹,东西方文明汇聚之地定于西域,也即亚欧大陆,历时上千年不变。至15世纪初,郑和七下西洋,持续近三十年,形成了人类交往从陆向海发展的强劲态势,西洋凸显,中外交往从陆向海的转折发生;进而满刺加(马六甲)兴起,人类交往从陆向海的重大转折发生,遂使东西方文明汇聚中心从此脱离亚欧大陆,转移至海上,最终奠定了东西方文明汇合于海上的格局,预示了一个整体世界在海上形成。不仅如此,人类文明史的重大转折,还宣告了人类以人力与马匹为主交往阶段的衰落,和以科技含量占重要地位的交往新阶段的开始。郑和远航是大航海时代的先驱,既是古代传统的一次历史性总结,同时也是一个新时代的开端,在人类文明史上具有里程碑的意义,是改变人类历史的航行。

From ancient times the main means of human contact was by land. Zhang Qian of the Western Han dynasty reached the Western Regions by Silk Road, where thus the civilization of the East and West converged. In the early 1500s Zheng He went on sea voyage seven times, marking the turning from land to sea and finally the whole globe was formed by sea, Zheng He marked the beginning of navigation that was both the end of the old period and the beginning of the new. His navigation changed the direction of human history.