中国是如何成为专制国家的?

How Did China Become an Autocratic Country?

传统中国专制说之所以流行,盖因西方普遍流行"东方主义"态度并对中国缺乏理解,而通过日本,该观念成为迫切寻求救亡之道的中国学人的主流观点。然而,上述观察无法解释为何在欧洲对中国充满好感的时代,孟德斯鸠提出了中国专制说。因此,欲反驳传统中国专制说,必须对始作俑者孟德斯鸠的中国专制说,进行批判性考察。实际上,中国专制说误解了传统中国政治,而近代中国基于这种误解的各种错误行动,恰恰可能为传统中国政治崩溃后中国走向专制埋下了伏笔。此极具反讽意味地命中了孟德斯鸠关于专制的理解。

In this paper,the author will argue that the spread and of the idea that traditional China was despotic is root-ed in the ignorance and the arrogance of the West toward China.Through Japan,it was almost universally accepted by Chinese scholars and politicians through much of the 20 th century under the pressure of saving China from Western and Japanese invasions.But this explanation is not fully applicable to Montesquieu,who first introduced and developed this idea.Through investigating his general theory of moderate and despotic regimes,and his understanding of China,I will explain why he introduced this idea and why it was deeply problematic.After clarifying the concept of despotism,I will challenge directly the understanding that the traditional Chinese regime was autocratic.Finally,I will show that because of the inadequacy of this understanding and the actions taken by the Chinese on the basis of this understanding,China has indeed become despotic since the collapse of the traditional Chinese regime,which,ironically,does corroborate Montesquieu's understanding of the nature of despotism.