论西夏对中国的认同

On the West Xia’s Identification with Zhongguo中国

西夏与同时代的宋、辽、金三个王朝一样,对中国表现出高度认同。传统历史文献记载,西夏攀附元魏,追认唐朝,以宋、辽为宗主国,尊称宋朝为“大汉”,以唐尧、汉祖为榜样。近代出土的西夏文献记录了西夏对中原王朝不同场合以民族、地域方位或朝代名称呼,反映出中国内部各王朝共存的现实,同时显示出西夏对外自量、境内自尊的心态。西夏对古代中国帝统的认可,证明其自认为是中国历史的继承者之一。特别是西夏对中国传统文化多方面的学习、继承——包括尊崇儒学,实行科举;继承中华法系,仿效中原官制;继承德运传统,设置年号、尊号等;借鉴汉文创制西夏文,翻译中原典籍和佛经;学习中原文学艺术、礼仪习惯;弘扬中原科学技术等——表现出对中国的高度认同。西夏还淡化“华夷”界限,把党项族纳入“中华”范畴。辽夏金对中国的认同加强了民族间的大融合,为元朝高度认同中国,并以中华正统身份承袭中国做了思想、理论和实践的准备,打下了厚重的基础。

The West Xia kingdom recognized itself as a Zhongguo dynasty like the Song,the Liao and the Jin.Through the records of ancient history literature,we can know that the rulers of the West Xia claimed their connection with the Tuoba Wei拓跋魏,took pride in the Tang Dynasty’s conferring on their ancestors,called officially the Song the Great Han大汉,as well as tried to follow the examples of ancient great rulers like Tangyao唐尧and the first emperor of the Han Dynasty.In the literature of the West Xia language discovered in the modern age,the Center Plant dynasty,the Song,were called the name of the ethnic group,or the name of the location,or the name of the dynasty,according to the contexts.The usage of the name reflected the reality of the coexistence of the Song,the Liao,the Jin and the West Xia in the time as well as the attitude of the West Xia’s elevating itself in the kingdom and estimating its power properly in the face of others.The recognition to the ancient orthodox emperors showed that the West Xia had deemed itself as one of the successor of traditional Zhongguo.Specially,the examples of inheriting and developing of the traditional culture of Zhongguo showed the West Xia’s identification with Zhongguo,such as respecting Confucianism,taking imperial exams,inheriting the traditional Chinese legal system,imitating the official system of the central dynasty,recognizing the circle of five De德运,setting the era name and the renal name,inventing the written signs of the West Xia language by borrowing the written Chinese,translating classical texts and Buddhist scriptures,studying the literature and art,ceremony and custom,developing the technologies,etc..By regarding Tangut,the ruling ethnic group of the West Xia,as a part of the Hua华,the ruler blurred the boundary between the Hua and Yi夷.The identification of the West Xia,the Liao and the Jin with Zhongguo promoted the large-scale merging of ethnic groups.It is an important foundation for the grand unification of Yuan Dynasty as an orthodox Zhongguo dynasty.