鸦片战争与“中国观”的近代转换

The Opium War and the Modern Transformation of "China View"

“中国观”是对中国国情最基本的看法,以及在这种看法的指导下,人们是采取何种纲领和政策来处理中国社会的重大问题的,包括“中国疆域观”、“中国人民观”、“中国文化观”和“中国主权观”等四项基本观念。在长达三千余年的古代历史中,中国人形成了“古典的中国观”和“多民族统一的中国观”,在维护国家统一和促进民族团结方面都起过非常重要的作用,但其中包含的“天朝大国”之类盲目自大心态却阻滞社会发展。鸦片战争给中国以巨大的影响,痛苦的战败经历迫使先进的知识分子睁眼看世界。科学全新的史地知识,使他们的视野空前开阔,以全球为参照物反思中国,传统的“中国观”开始了近代转换:中国是“天朝”的观念崩溃了;“大国”的标准更新了,按新的标准,中国不是世界上唯一的“大国”;中国的船、器和战法落后,是一个“弱国”;“天朝”与“大国”的观念相脱离,“弱国”与“大国”的观念相结合;国家蒙羞,人民受害,只有改革才能救中国,“救亡的中国观”从此萌生。

＂China View＂ means a basic view on China^s situations, and on the basis ot this view, the creeds and policies that the people adopt to handle the major state affairs, including ＂China＇s territory view＂, ＂China＇s cultural view＂, ＂China＇ s people view＂ and ＂China＇s sovereignty view＂. In the long history of 3,000 year in China, the Chinese people have constituted a ＂classic China view＂ and ＂unified multinational state concept＂, which have played an significant role in safeguarding the unification of China. But the self-conceit embodied in the view has greatly hindered the social development. The Opium War affected the Chinese people greatly and made the wise scholars to open their eye on the outside world. The completely new historical and geographical knowledge enable them to have a new look on the outside world as well as China itself, which transform ＂China View＂ a great deal： the concept of taking China as a ＂heavenly nation＂ collapsed; China＇s position in the world was reconsidered and it is no longer the sole power but a weak nation with backward weapons and battleships and warring tactics; ＂heavenly state＂ is disseminated from the ＂great power＂ and ＂weak nation＂ is combined with ＂big country＂; and only through reforms could China be saved from extinction, thus the emergence of the ＂saving China view＂.