孔子与19世纪初期的美国对华认知

Confucius in America's understanding of China in the early 19th century

19世纪初期乃美国国家初定、对华认知奠定基础之时。承担传播中国信息的各类报纸和大众出版物在中美交流尚停留在物质层面的背景下,利用辗转而来的素材,从肯定基督教文明的立场出发,并以孔子为线索,建构出具有双重特性的中国观。一方面,孔子本人因为与基督一样宣扬道德理想,并表现出得到上帝启发的迹象,而备受赞赏。另一方面,孔子又不是真正意义上的宗教思想家,其学说因此被打上异教烙印,奉孔子思想为圭臬的中国自然成为异教国家,与欧美文明不相吻合的各种弊病也就备受关注。褒扬孔子、贬低中国的对华认知模式就此固定,引导着美国人日后的对华接触。

It was in the early 19th century that the newly-born American republic became stabilized and laid its foundation for comprehensive understanding of China.Though U.S.-China contact was confined to merchandise exchanges,American newspapers and mass publications had already begun making use of imported narratives to sketch out an image of China for their audience.Embracing a complex of Christian superiority,American media of that early stage employed Confucius as a vantage point and adopted a two-fold approach to China.On the one hand,Confucius earned repetitive applause because of his Christianity-like morality and supposed favor by God.On the other,not truly religious,Confucianism was deemed pagan and China,under its influence,became a heathen country displaying a wide range of deficiencies.Praising Confucius while debasing China would turn stereotypical in Americans＇ contacts with China ever since.