黄遵宪《日本国志》延迟行世原因解析

The Reason for Delaying Publication of Huang Zunxian's Annals of Japan

黄遵宪《日本国志》从撰成到刊行延迟了8年,成为近代文坛上的一个历史性遗憾。通过对新发现的两份档案文件的研究,结合其他资料对这一延迟原因加以解析,可知造成这一延迟的首要责任者是李鸿章,他对黄遵宪及《日本国志》的否定性评价,对总理衙门大员产生了消极影响。其次应归咎于总理衙门大臣们的昏庸无识,对于此书不予重视,未予刊行。而最根本的原因,还在于皇权官僚士大夫体制,其思想控制和言论束缚机制,使黄遵宪《日本国志》由于有借鉴日本、变法求强的思想倾向,而遭到朝臣大员的冷遇和摒弃。黄遵宪为此书向官方渠道寻求行世而失败的事实表明,在面临民族灾难的危机时期,由于清皇权官僚士大夫体制的僵化、封闭、保守,扼杀了体制内生长的应对变局的知识和思想资源,给国家利益和民族命运造成了不可弥补的损失。

The 8-year delay between the completion and publication of Huang Zunxian's Annals of Japan is one of the modern Chinese literary world's historical regrets. Through studies of two newly found documents and other historical data, we can conclude that the person who was primarily responsible for the delay was Li Hongzhang. His negative assessment of Huang Zunxian and Annals of Japan[WTBZ] exerted a negative influence on officials of the Zongli Yamen. Secondarily, blame should be put on the stupidity and ignorance of officials of the Zongli Yamen, who did not attach importance to the book and did not publish it. Of course, the fundamental reason was the literati system of bureaucratic imperial power. Its mechanisms ideological control and speech restriction made Huang Zunxian's Annals of Japan[WTBZ] get a cold reception among high officials at court, who rejected the book because of its ideological orientation towards drawing on Japan's experience and initiating political reform and self-strengthening. Huang Zunxian did his best to publish the book through official channels, but failed. This fact indicates that during this period of crisis, when our nation was facing catastrophe, the rigidity, closedness and conservatism of the Qing literati system of bureaucratic imperial power smothered the knowledge and intellectual resources that had developed inside the system to face the changed situation, and caused irreparable damage to state interests and the fate of the nation.