论中国人没有参与地理大发现的地理原因

From the Geographic Views to Discuss the Causes for the Chinese not to Participate in the Activities of the Great Geographical Discoveries

地理发现应指文明民族的代表首次到达了或最早了解了各文明民族均前所未知的地表的某一部分,或率先确定了地表已知各部分之间的空间联系。中国人没有参与地理大发现,是由于中国缺乏参与地理大发现的理想的自然地理条件和位置。因为从中国横渡太平洋到美洲的距离是从西欧或西非横渡大西洋到美洲的距离的几乎三倍。中国缺乏从事地理大发现的合适的政治地理环境。中国人难以向南航海去发现澳洲,因为文明的东南亚把中国和澳洲隔开。如果中国人(明人)要向北探险去发现北亚西伯利亚,又被游牧民族如蒙古人、女真人-满人、维吾尔人、哈萨克人等锁闭。中国优越的经济地理状况在地理大发现方面反而起了负作用。中国自来是个大国,地域辽阔、物产资源丰富、经济发达,而且其人口直到明末清初仍不多。中国在经济上不需要外贸和外国,因此在中国,海陆探险和地理发现缺乏经济刺激和人口压力。

The great geographical discoveries mean that an unknown mainland had been discovered or the spatial communications among the civilized continents had been confirmed. The reasons for the Chinese people not to participate in these activities ascribe to China's nature geography without reasonable conditions since it is nearly three times long from China to America mainland across the Pacific than from West Europe and Africa to America across the Atlantic. At the same time, the political circumstance in China also was not positive for the discoveries. China is separated from Australia by the civilized South East Asia while China is separated from the North Asia and Siberia by the nomadic groups such as the Mongolians, Jerchens, Manchus, Uighurs, Kazakhs and so on so neither the Australia mainland nor the Siberia could China discover. China's superior economic geography is also negative for the activities of geographical discover since China has been constantly a great nation with vast territory, abundant resources, developed economy, and a fairly low population until the late Ming and early Qmg period so it is unnecessary for China to develop external trade. Therefore, there is no economic stimulating and population pressure for China to make geographical exploration and discoveries.