晚清洋务人士对明治维新的评议探析(1870—1880年代)

On the Comments of Westernization Personages in the Late Qing Dynasty on the Meiji Restoration(1870-1880s)

甲午战争爆发前的1870—1880年代既是日本明治维新前半期,也是中国近代化的早期阶段。日本在该阶段不仅学习西方的经济、军事与科技,而且在社会、文化等领域亦出现一系列变化。其中又以推崇西学而轻视汉学、使用公历而废弃旧历、采用洋服而变革旧服等最为彰著。洋务人士虽比较赞赏日本在“器物”层面学习西方的成效,但他们大多批评日本更改历法、服饰与重西学而轻汉学的行为。他们认为服饰、历法与“汉学”是反映一国独立自主与文化传统的重要表征。特别是“汉学”不仅在道统层面优于西学,而且曾极大地促进过日本的发展。故日本废弃本国服饰、历法,且轻视汉学,模仿西洋事物,是取媚西方与对本国历史传统的背叛。同时日本的这一做法还不利于国民生活与生产贸易。甲午战前洋务人士批评日本的背后,潜藏着“中体西用”的价值取向。他们透过对日本明治维新的种种批评,间接表达了对晚清自强事业的基本看法,即学习西洋,应着重于工具—技术层面,而在制度—价值层面,则应尽力发挥本国传统。

The 1870-1880s before the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 was not only the first half of Japan’s Meiji Restoration,but also the early stage of China’s modernization.At this stage,Japan not only learned from the West in economy,military,science and technology,but also experienced a series of changes in social,cultural and other fields.Among these changes,the most prominent ones were advocating Western learning and despising Sinology,using the Gregorian calendar and abandoning the old ones,and using foreign clothes instead of the traditional ones.Although westernization personages in China appreciated Japan’s spirit of being effectiveness of learning from the West at the level of “utensils”.However,most of them clearly criticized Japan’s behaviors of changing the calendar,clothing and emphasizing Western learning over Sinology.They believed that clothing,calendar and “Sinology” were important symbols reflecting a country’s independence and cultural tradition.In particular,“Sinology” was not only superior to Western learning at the Taoist level,but also had greatly promoted the development of Japan.Therefore,Japan abandoned its own costumes and calendars,despised Sinology and imitated Western things,which was a betrayal of its own historical tradition.At the same time,Japan’s practice was not conducive to its national life,production and trade.Before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895,the value orientation of “ruling order maintained by Chinese feudal ethics,assisted by Western modern industry and technology” was hidden behind the criticism of Japan by westernization personages.Through various criticisms of Japan’s Meiji Restoration,they indirectly expressed their basic views on the cause of self-improvement in the late Qing Dynasty,that is,learning from the West should focus on the tool and technology level,while in terms of institutions and values,our own traditions should have been given full play to.