兽之美者:滇象北往与贡象南来(之三)——基于历史民族学的人象伦理关系考察

The Beauty of the Beast-The Northward Movement of the Yunnan Elephants and the Tributed Elephants from the South:An Examination of the Ethical Relationship between Human Beings and Elephants Based on Historical Ethnography

以2021年滇象北上为缘由,梳理了亚洲象在中国史前的分布及其南向退却的研究线索,对《尔雅》中“有梁山之犀象焉”的经典之论进行了地理方位及其含义的考辨;从中国历史时期朝贡体系的视角,对中央王朝崇尚象牙制品、宫廷卤簿陈布驯象仪仗的传统进行了探讨;行文遵循了依时叙事的脉络和古今知识融通的书写,突出了唐宋以降诸朝在象牙聚敛和驯象利用方面的史实,就域内外“南蛮”之地驯象之贡象征的天朝威仪及其对五方之民互动关系产生的影响,展开历史民族学的研究。述及诸如契丹索驯象、女真掳驯象以效法中原卤簿威仪的“礼乐文章”认同,元朝统治者驭象以乘、往返两京的壮举及其对明清两代的影响,明清宫廷驯象之尚在域外“东夷”藩属的蛛丝马迹,乾隆赐驯象于卫藏的治边理念,以及南越象奴留驻宫廷的境遇等历史故事,其中不乏对相关资料和观点的辨析;在较充分地利用正史、野史有关人象关系的资料基础上,指出了以“象齿焚身”为代表的生态伦理扭曲及其对社会观念的误导,揭示了殷商史鉴之“象箸玉杯”、天子美德之“不贵远物”的实践悖论,析述了历代王朝衰败于“象牙筷定律”的象征意义。中国古代大象资源的南却和锐减,杀象拔牙、宫廷驯象利用是不可回避的动因。这一源自皇朝宫廷“贡品”效应的所谓“象文化”传统,对民间社会产生了广泛持久的影响,以至现代中国曾是全球最大的象牙制品消费市场之一。自中国全面禁止象牙交易和象牙制品加工销售以来,保护大象的意识和行动形成气候,并集中体现为对滇象北上和返回栖息地的全程精心呵护。中国倡导国际社会共建人与自然生命共同体和践行保护生物多样性的理念,需要以史为鉴。

The distribution of Asian elephants in prehistoric China and their southward retreat are studied with the background of Yunnan elephants moving northward in 2021.The geographic location is studied and the implication is analyzed with the classical saying“There are rhinoceros and elephants in the Mountain of Liang"in the“Erya”of Book of Songs.From the perspective of the tribute system in China’s historical period,the tradition of paying tributes to the central government with ivory products and the royal records of elephant-taming rituals are discussed.Following a chronological narrative and the integration of ancient and modern knowledge,a historical-ethnographic study is conducted on the grandeur of the Chinese dynasties which received the tribute of domesticated elephants from the“southern barbarians”since the Tang and Song dynasties,and its impact on the interaction between the people of the five directions.The so-called“elephant culture”tradition,derived from the imperial“tributes”,had such a widespread and lasting impact on civil society that modern China was once one of the world’s largest consumption markets for ivory products.Since China completely banned the trade of ivory and the processing and sale of ivory products,the awareness and action of elephant protection has been well developed,which is shown in the careful care of the Yunnan elephants in their whole journey northward and backward to the habitat.China calls for the international community to build a community of human beings and natural lives,and practice the protecting of biodiversity,in which we need to learn from history.