初论中国历史地理学之民族特色

On the National Characteristics of Chinese Historical Geography

中国历史地理学学科肇始于20世纪初期,在抗日战争民族救亡之际孕育成熟;至新中国成立后,侯仁之先生吸收了中国传统文化中“天人和谐论”的主要内涵,创建出中国历史地理学的学科理论——人地关系论。历代先贤著述的史籍资料,为近现代学人研究历史时期地理环境及其变迁提供了优越条件;同时,他们秉承的学以致用的家国情怀,又给历史地理学者拯救民族危亡、助力民族复兴,提供了强大的精神动力。在当今历史地理学界,对两千多年漫长历史时期形成的舆地学优良学术传统中的经世致用治学理念、考据式治学方式、征实性治学精神之传承创新已蔚然成风。这显然已成为我国历史地理学最为宝贵的民族特色;而且藉此民族特色,中国历史地理学正可走向世界,在保卫人类的地球村与建设人类命运共同体的新的历史性任务中,更好地发挥它的有用于世的学术及实践功能,并推动这门新兴学科获得更大的发展。

The discipline of historical geography in China began in the early 20th century and grew up in the time of national salvation in the War of Resistance Against Japan. After the founding of New China, Hou Renzhi absorbed the main connotation of “harmony between man and nature” in Chinese traditional culture and created the subject theory of Chinese historical geography-the theory of man-land relationship. The historical materials compiled by the ancient sages of the past dynasties provide superior conditions for modern scholars to study the geographical environment and its vicissitudes in the historical period. At the same time, their family and national sentiments applied by the world also provide strong spiritual impetus for the historical geographers to save the nation from peril and help the national revival. Nowadays, in the field of historical geography, the inheritance and innovation of the fine traditions, such as the idea of practicality, the way of textual research and the spirit of collecting facts, which have been formed in the field of public opinion and geography for more than two thousand years, have become a common practice. This has obviously become the most precious national characteristic of Chinese historical geography, and with this national characteristic, Chinese historical geography is going to the world. In the new historic task of defending the global village of human beings and building the community of human destiny, it can better play its useful academic and practical functions and promote this new discipline have made greater progress.