明清传教士对《山海经》的解读

The Explanation on the Shanhai Jing of the Jesuit Missionaries in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

晚明前清时期在华耶稣会士作品中有关《山海经》的零星内容反映出这些欧洲传教士与时代变局相关的心态变化。从16世纪到18世纪,欧洲的地理类作品随着其世界观念的更新而从传说与实证并存向实证性内容居主导转变,礼仪之争使在华传教士对中国文化的态度从针对中国人的迎合向针对欧洲人的特别宣传转变。受这两种变化驱使,传教士看待《山海经》时从认可和吸收变为轻蔑与排斥。

The Jesuit missionaries in the late Ming and early Qing had occasionally mentioned about Shanhai Jing in their works, which explored their mental changes related with the time transformation. From 16th century to 18th century according with the renewing of European view on the world, European geographic works tended to record more and more information based on direct practice, but little and little legends. At the same time, Jesuits’ attitude on Chinese culture changed subtly because of the Chinese rites controversy, from playing up to Chinese literati to propagating to European some particular contents beneficial to their enterprise. Influenced by those two tendencies, the Jesuit missionaries gradually regarded Shanhai Jing as a ridiculous and rejected work instead of recognizing and adopting it.