自负与自信：文化与鸦片战争关系的历史启迪

Conceit and confidence:the historical enlightenment from the relationship between culture and Opium War

鸦片战争以前,华夏民族不论是在经济方面还是文化方面,都曾经走在时代前列。鸦片战争的惨败,摧毁了清王朝以"天朝上国"自居的梦想,显化了近代中国"几千年未有之大变局"。但第一次鸦片战争的失败并未引起国人的思考,直到英法联军攻进北京城,致使中国的发展迟滞了多年,究其原因是文化自负。文化自负会阻滞文化的发展与进步。鸦片战争给我们的历史启迪是,文化自信不是文化自负,自信不是自大、自傲,只有在批判继承、交流借鉴中才能真正做到文化自信,推动文化发展,进而为实现民族复兴奠定坚实基础。

Prior to the Opium War,the Chinese nation had been at the forefront of the times,both economically and culturally.The fiasco of the Opium War destroyed the"Middle Kingdom"dream of the Qing dynasty,and it was an"upheaval that had never seen in the thousands of years"of modern Chinese history.However,the failure of the first Opium War did not provoke the thought of Chinese people,and it was not until the British and French forces attacked Beijing and delayed Chinese development for so many years that Chinese people started to think and learn from those bitter experiences.The reason behind such experiences is cultural arrogance.Cultural arrogance will hinder cultural progress and development.We may draw inspiration from the Opium War that cultural confidence is not cultural arrogance,and confidence is not arrogance and self-conceit.Only through critical succession,cultural exchange and reference can we truly achieve cultural self-confidence,promote cultural development,and lay a solid foundation for our national rejuvenation.