“中国的根本问题在于自己”:美国媒体对20世纪20年代中国局势的解读

The Fundamental Problems Have Been with Chinese Themselves:American Media’s Interpretation of 1920s China

20世纪20年代,中国基本没有面临严重的外患,还收回了山东的主权,近代所签订的不平等条约也不断地得到修改和废除,也就是说国际局势出现了对中国非常有利的改变,这是中国走向富强难得的机遇。然而不幸的是,中国国内政治仍然是一团混乱,军阀混战给中国带来了深重的灾难。所以这个时候,真正的问题实际上在中国的内部。这种局面下的中国外交,在世界舞台上能有多大的活动余地,能够在外交的斗争中为保障中国利益做多少事情,都是非常不容乐观的,这也是中国在国际上得不到尊重的原因之一。本文依据五四运动以后美国媒体对中国问题的报道以及对中国局势的分析,来考察西方对20世纪20年代中国的认识,讨论美国媒体对中国内政的看法,对当时各种政治派别的态度,以及它们对中国未来的预测和思考。这些媒体报道和新闻分析为我们理解20世纪20年代中国的政治演变,提供了一个不同的视角和珍贵的资料。

In the 1920 s,China basically did not face any serious external threats while it recovered the sovereignty of Shandong.The unequal treaties signed during the modern times had been continuously revised and abolished.That is to say,the international situation had changed very beneficial to China.China,therefore,had a rare opportunity to become rich and strong.Unfortunately,China’s domestic politics was still a mess,and the wars between warlords had brought serious disasters to China.So at this time,the real problem was actually inside China.Under this situation,it was not optimistic for China’s diplomacy on the world stage and for protection of China’s interests in the diplomatic struggle.This was also one of the reasons that China could not win respect in the international arena.Based on the American media’s reports on China and the analyses of China’s situation after the May Fourth Movement,this article examines the West’s understanding of China in the 1920 s,discusses the American media’s views on China’s internal affairs,the attitudes of various political factions at the time,and their forecast and thinking about China’s future.These media reports and news analyses provide us with a different perspective and valuable information for understanding the political evolution of China in the 1920 s.