何为中国:1919年的中国和世界

The Year 1919: China Rethinks Its Relation to the World

第一次世界大战是世界近代史上的重要篇章,中国在某种程度上卷入了这场战争中。大战的经历和结果,迫使中国的精英重新思考中国在世界上的地位以及中国文明在世界上可能的地位。"一战"初期,严复支持中国加入世界大战,可是欧战结束后,严复彻底幻灭了,认为唯有古代中国的儒家思想才能解救中国和西方。与此同时,在欧洲游历的梁启超在亲眼目睹了战争的可怕影响之后断言,这场欧战近乎消灭了人类文明;他放弃了达尔文主义,认为东方现在可以提供一些西方所没有的价值,鼓吹东西方文明的融合。而梁漱溟在《东西文化及其哲学》一书中认为"中国文化的基本精神是理与欲的和谐和平衡",中国文化处在一个高于西方文化的水平上,中国文化当引导西方人走向儒学之路。"一战"将全新的观念注入中国精英的思想中,形塑了他们之后如何思考中国的未来、中国的国族认同和中国文明的方向。

The Great War was a critical chapter in modern world history,to some extent,China got deeply involved in the war.The experience of the war and its aftermath forced Chinese elites to rethink about China and Chinese civilization and what their positions in the world were and could be. In the beginning,Yan Fu was in support of China＇s entry into the war. However,after the war,Yan became deeply disillusioned. He concluded that what could save China as well as the West was ancient Chinese Confucian philosophy. At the same time,Liang Qichao toured Europe. After witnessing the terrible impact of the Great War,Liang Qichao gave up Social Darw inism and believed the East now had something to offer to the West. He advocated civilizational blending. After the war,Liang Shuming wrote his famous book Eastern and Western Cultures and Their Philosophies,argued that ＂the fundamental spirit of Chinese culture is the harmony and moderation of ideas and desires. ＂In his book,Liang believed that Chinese culture was both on a higher level than Western culture and compatible with modernization. Chinese culture should guide the Westerners to the path of Confucianism. In short,the Great War injected brand new ideas into Chinese minds,which shaped their thinking about the national future,China＇s national identity and Chinese civilization direction.