郑和下西洋军事行动的研究述评——兼析海外“原始殖民主义论”的若干论调

A Review and a Few Reflections on the Recent Studies of Zheng He’s Military Activities on the Western Seas——With an Examination of the So-called“Proto-Colonialism”

中外学者在评价郑和航行中的军事行动这一问题上争议不断。多数中国学者肯定郑和为开创和维持安定和平的国际关系做出的努力,而一些西方学者则认为郑和的武力使用是对当地的“侵略性”干预,甚或为其贴上了“原始殖民主义”的标签。扼要检讨近四十年来中国学界关于郑和下西洋中的军事行动以及相关问题的研究,并结合相关历史文献资料的考辨,对“中”“西”学者之间异同的论点进行对比分析。勿论中国主流学界的某种预定性立场,抑或似是而非的中、西二分法,可以认为在传统的朝贡体系下,郑和审慎地借助武力以维系“和谐”的国际关系,与半个世纪之后欧洲冒险家、商人、殖民主义者对殖民地野蛮干涉、占领、压迫的行径有本质的区别。

A controversial topic on the studies of the Zheng He voyages is how to perceive his armadas’military actions.Most Chinese scholars argue that Zheng He’s endeavors had created and retained peaceful relationships with foreign nations,while a few Western scholars point to Zheng He’s“invasive”interventions in local politics,even employing the label of“proto-colonialism.”This article aims to briefly represent and evaluate the recent Chinese scholarship on Zheng He’s armed engagements and related issues,secondarily in light of a comparative perspective to certain discrepancy between the“Chinese”and“Western”scholars in their respective interpretations,together with a textual examination of the relevant historical process.Regardless of the mainstream Chinese scholarship’s certain purposive stance,as well as a plausible Chinese-Western dichotomy,I conclude that under the traditional tribute system Zheng He was roughly cautious in military solution in anticipation of establishing and maintaining a kind of“harmonious”international order in effect,different from the ferocious intrusion,occupation and oppression that European explorers,merchants and colonialists inflicted on the same areas that started a half century later.