Shanghai、毒品与帝国认知网络——带有防火墙功能的西方之中国叙事

Shanghai,Drugs,and Imperialistic Cognition System——The Western Narration about China with a Firewall Function

西方作家笔下的上海是一个神秘而恐怖的东方都市。在西方殖民帝国对中国的认知网络上,中国往往被看作是一个沉溺于鸦片梦幻中的最具有东方性的非现实的国度。关于中国的一般知识,也是一种话语权力结构,构成了西方帝国殖民体系的认识论基础。通过那种虚幻的中国叙事,有意识维护着西方殖民帝国的认知网络,任何一种危害帝国安全的因素,都被想象夸大在各式各样的中国叙事之中,形成坚固的防火墙,阻挡来自异域的危及帝国认知网络安全的"病毒"。萨克斯·罗默创造的傅满楚形象,典型地展现出西方关于东方中国的神秘而恐怖的心理状态,而这一形象的多元化传播也体现出西方殖民心态下关于中国的认知网络的运行轨迹。在全球一体化的国际文化语境中,这道"防火墙"成了阻碍东西方跨文化交往的障碍。

Shanghai has appeared in many Western novels in the guise of a mysterious and somewhat frightening oriental metropolis. In parallel, in the imperialistic cognition system, China was associated with a halo of opium addict illusions and therefore considered an unrealistic country with distinctive Eastern features. This global perception of China biased the directions of their narrations, and composed the episte- mological framework of the Western imperialistic colonial system. This misguiding narration about China has built a strong firewall against any virus that might attack the imperialistic cognition system. Dr. Fu Manchu, a typical literary figure created by Sax Rohmer, has long reflected the mysterious and terrifying way in which the West represented Oriental China. The popularization of this image has actually tracked the gradual coming into being of the cognition system. Any works that demonized China would try to get their inspiration from the archetype of Dr. Fu Manchu. In other words, the acquisition of this immunity was the result of the Western narration about China in the colonial age. However, with the ongoing globalization and integration manifest today, this firewall has become a hindrance in intercultural communication.