汉晋时期书籍的普及与东亚社会

The Popularization of Books in the Han and Jin Dynasties and Its Impact on East Asian Societies

古代中国的书写材料从竹简、木简转变为纸张是社会发展过程中必然出现的现象。汉代以前,中国一直致力于推动书籍的普及,以简帛等为材料的书籍普及数量已不在少数。汉代随着学问的兴盛、读书层的扩大、学官制度和文书传递行政体系的日臻完善,社会对书籍的需求量剧增。东汉时期蔡侯纸的问世,标志着新形态书写材料的出现,也使纸张得以普及,使大量复制书籍成为可能。这种书写材料的变化,从社会大众的角度考虑,纸张在书写效率方面具有更大的优越性。因此,从南北朝时期以后,纸质书籍普及全国。东晋元兴元年(402)桓玄实施的法令意味着简帛时代的结束,同时也意味着纸张的使用已经普遍化。这一结果更加促进了书肆的成立,市场上流通的不仅是经学类书籍,也包括通俗作品等多元化书籍,持续不断的需求和供给,以及囊括南北朝市场的规模扩大,都反映出文献的流通过程已经形成。另外,书籍的增加与流通的活跃,使得书籍的“外部”扩展成为可能,对东亚社会产生巨大影响。

The change of writing materials in ancient China from bamboo strips and wooden slips to paper is an inevitable outcome of socioeconomic development. Before the Han Dynasty, China had been committed to promoting the popularization of books, whereupon the number of books based on bamboo strips and silk surged. In the Han Dynasty, with the flourishing of learning, the expansion of the reading community, the improvement in the academic system as well as in the administrative system regarding delivery of official documents, the demand for books in the society increased sharply. The advent of 'Caihou paper’, a kind of durable paper sheet named after its inventor Cai Lun, in the Eastern Han Dynasty marked the emergence of new writing materials, which made possible large-scale use of paper and reproduction of books in large numbers. This change in writing materials, from the perspective of the general public, could greatly enhance writing efficiency. Therefore, since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, paper books have been popularized throughout the whole country. In the first year of Emperor Yuanxing’s reign of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (402 AD), the promulgation of an imperial decree espoused and implemented by Huan Xuan marked the end of the bamboo strips and silk era, while at the same time symbolizing the popularization of paper as the main medium of writing. This result further promoted the establishment of bookstores, where diverse books were in circulation, including not only ancient classics such as The Four Books and Five Classics but also popular works. With the ever increasing market demand and supply, together with the expansion of the market in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a nationwide circulation of documents and literature were in formation. In addition, the increase of book supply and the active circulation of books also made possible the outward expansion’ of Chinese book culture beyond Chinese frontiers, exerting a tremendous impact on East Asian societies.