东方乌托邦--欧洲中世纪旅行文学中的北京形象

Oriental Utopia: Beijing Image in European Medieval Travel Literature

在蒙元时代,欧洲到中国的交通线打通,欧洲的传教士和旅行家相继来到中国,他们的旅行文学作品向西方翔实地介绍了作为乌托邦表征的北京形象。1299年《马可·波罗行纪》面世,北京首次以"汗八里"的名称出现在西方人的视野里,意为"大汗之城"或"帝王之城"。从13至16世纪的三百余年间,北京以"东方帝都"的形象反复出现在欧洲的旅行文学之中,为西方人想象中的东方乌托邦提供了更加翔实、可靠的素材。本文以比较文学形象学为依托,以《马可·波罗行纪》《颚多立克游记》《曼德维尔游记》为研究文本,探讨北京作为乌托邦形象在中世纪欧洲旅行文学中的表征。

During the Yuan Dynasty,with the establishment of free transportation between Europe and China,many European missionaries and travelers went to China in succession.Their travel literature revealed to the West the image of Beijing as a Utopia.For instance,the publication of Travels of Marco Polo in 1299,made Beijing appear with the name“Cambaluc”in the eyes of Westerners,meaning“Khan's City”or“,King's City."From the 13th to the 16th century,Beijing repeatedly appeared in the European travel literature as the image of Oriental Imperial Capital,providing more detailed materials for the imagined Oriental Utopia of the Westerners.On the basis of imagology of comparative literature,this paper studies the representation of Beijing as a Utopia in medieval European travel literature.