略论《康輶纪行》的成书与基本内容

The Writing Process and Essential Content of The Chronicles of the Traveling to Kang

鸦片战争后,姚莹被发往四川,曾两次奉命入藏,撰写了《康輶纪行》这部传世之作。对西藏的历史、地理、政治、宗教以及风俗习惯等作了比较全面的考察,对与西藏毗邻的一些国家以及英、法等国的情况都尽可能地作了介绍,尤其是涉及了英国的政府机构与官员设置情况,对议会制度表现了浓厚的兴趣。该书表达了姚莹的满腔爱国热忱,体现了经世致用思想与严谨的治学态度。尽管姚莹对西方的认识存在着局限性,但他对西方的了解已经超过了与他同时代的林则徐、魏源、夏燮等人,代表着当时的最高水平。

After the Opium War, Yao Ying was assigned to Sichuan, and then was sent to Tibet twice, when he wrote The Chronicles of the Traveling to Kang, a book handed down from then on. In the book he inspected comprehensively the history, geography, politics, religion as well as manners and customs of Tibet, and introduced Britain, France and some other countries adjoining with Tibet, particularly involving the British government organizations and their official ranks, showing strong interest in the parliamentary system. This book shows Yao Ying＇s zealous patriotism and embodies his idea of feasibility and his serious attitude to doing scholarly research. Limited as Yao Ying＇s knowledge of the West, it undoubtedly stood for the highest level at that time, surpassing his contemporaries like Lin Zexu, Wei Yuan, Xia Xie, to name just a few.