飞鸟与房船:近代西方人在江南一带的狩猎旅行

Birds and Houseboats:British Hunting Trips Around Jiangnan

近代是中国环境恶化的一个转折点。几千年的农耕文化虽然对环境带来了危害,但尊重自然的传统源远流长,开发行为受到一定遏制,人与动物在很大程度上仍能和谐相处。19世纪末,长江流域及沿海野鸟成群、野兽出没、河水清澈、鱼虾满塘,江南实为鸟儿天堂,耕者乐园。随着西洋工业文明的到来,传统经济解体,环境恶化加速。近代英国人在中国的狩猎活动是近代环境史不可缺少的一部分,其影响不可低估。

The second half of the 19^th century was a turning point in the destruction of the natural environment in China.Although the ways of life such as agriculture undoubtedly brought damages to environments in China, yet such damages were restricted by Chinese belief based on respect for life.However, hunting trips on houseboats by British in Lower Yangtze Valley and coastal China in the later part of the 19^th century and the beginning part of the 20^th century were an important event in the story of wildlife destruction in modem China. This paper described the cause and effect of these activities from the cultural and environmental perspective, with books written by British travelers as references.