“寰世独美”:五四前夕美国在华宣传与中国对新国家身份的追求

Relying on America: A Study of CPI's Propaganda in China and China's Pursuit of a New National Identity before the May 4th Movement

20世纪初,在华的美国官员、报人、商人为了能与其他一战参战国家的对华宣传进行竞争,在中国宣传美国理想,引导战后中国走上一条美国式发展道路,推动并参与了1918年9月在中国建立的公共信息委员会中国分部。中国分部的宣传塑造了一个可以帮助中国发展的强大而高尚的朋友形象,为中国的发展勾画了一个由美国主导的世界和平新秩序,为中国指出了一条具有极大吸引力的发展道路。这样的宣传在20世纪初迫切寻求平等独立的民族国家身份,设法参加战后和会的中国人那里得到了热烈响应。然而中国人也不是美国宣传的被动接收者,他们根据自己的诉求主动参与各项宣传活动。正是由于中国分部的积极宣传以及中国人本身对新民族国家身份的诉求,使得巴黎和会上中国外交失败消息传来之前中国人对美国以及美国主导的战后新秩序的信心和希望不断膨胀。当希望最终破灭时,中国上下产生了普遍的幻灭感,并促使一部分中国人开始重新思考中国未来的发展道路。

At the beginning of the 20 th century,American officials,newspapermen,and businessmen in China promoted and participated in the establishment of the China station,a branch of Committee on Public Information（CPI）. The purposes of the China station were to compete with other foreign propagandizing states,promote particular American values and to eventually lead China to follow the ＂American＂path. The CPI China station promotion of a powerful and friendly image of America,particular development path for China and new world order had various effects on China. On the one hand,the propaganda came at a time when the Chinese were searching for a new national identity,thus it gained support from many groups in China. On the other hand,Chinese people were not passive listeners of the propaganda and blindly accepted what was ＂fed＂to them. In short,before China＇s defeat in Paris,China＇s hope for America and Wilson＇s new international order after war was strongly raised by the propaganda and Chinese people＇s own pursuit of a new national identity. However after the diplomatic defeat in Paris,some Chinese began to rethink a Chinese path that was different from an American one.