19世纪上半期俄国人来华行纪与俄国人中国观的转向

Russian Traveler Journals in the First Half of the 19th Century and the Diversion of China Views in Russia

19世纪上半期俄国人的中国观发生了显著改变。这一时期有多位来华俄国人在其行纪中就中国的历史与文化、政治与法律、社会与风俗运用了不同于18世纪的负面评价套语。中国由18世纪令人艳羡的文明国度沦落为停滞、腐朽、落后的代名词。欧洲社会的进步、黑格尔等人的历史哲学、英国马戛尔尼使团成员的来华行纪深刻影响了来华俄国人关于中国的书写倾向并与后者共同促成了19世纪上半期俄国人中国观的转向。

In the first half of the 19th century, there was an obvious change in China views among Russians. Quite different from the terms and expressions applied to China in the 18th century, several Russian traveler journals published in this period adopted another system of negative appraisal language when they referred to Chinese history, culture, politics, law, society and manners, where China degraded from a once enviable country in the 18th century to a symbol of stagnation, corruption and backwardness. The social progress in Europe, the Hegel historical philosophy and the wide spread of journals from the George McCartney Mission deeply influenced Russians in depicting China in their journals and which in return made a joint contribution to such a conversion.