论“庚申之变”

On the Event in the Year 1860

咸丰十年(1860)英法联军攻入北京并火烧圆明园,致皇帝北狩,天下震动。与道光一朝曾被士大夫当作岛夷骚动海疆的中英鸦片战争相比,这是一种创深痛巨。由此产生的流泪、吐血、张皇、茫然都表现了精神冲击下的惊惧和惊愕。二十年之间,中国再败于泰西,而后是二千年岁月累计而成的历史经验在士大夫中先识时务者的心里开始破碎。正是在这种历史经验的破碎里才可能催生出“变局”、“创局”、“奇局”、“千古未有之局”和“智勇俱困之秋”一类词汇和观念。它们表述了那一代人的时代意识,并促成了以“自强”回应西人逼迫的历史过程,而中国社会艰难的近代化也因此而获得了一个真实的起点。

Yuanmingyuan(Garden of Perfect Splendor)was razed to the ground by the Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860 and Xian Feng the emperor was imprisoned.The whole world was shocked by this event.During two decades,China was defeated for the second time by the western armies.Therefore some far-sighted scholars began to give up the historical experience that had been accumulated during the 2000 years.Such expressions and concepts as “time of change” and “an autumn when people were running out of wisdom and courage” described the ideas of people at that time and urged them to fight back by developing China.The modernization of China which was proceeding really tough gained a true start since then.