再谈1511年之前美洲作物传入中国的可能性

Revisiting the Possibility of American Crops' Introduction into China Before 1511

近年有学者认为至少在13—14世纪南太平洋波利尼西亚人即抵达美洲,因为在前哥伦布时代,不少美洲作物便传入中国。他们言之凿凿,主要依据是以《饮食须知》《滇南本草》为代表的古文献以及波利尼西亚的番薯遗存等。其实关于中国方面的文献均可以证伪,波利尼西亚的番薯问题是一个不可复制的特殊案例,所谓的“花生”并非花生,“蕃茄”也不是番茄。近代以来提出的美洲作物是葡萄牙、西班牙等西方殖民者传入亚洲的观点,并非想象建构,不仅最符合逻辑,而且有大量事实佐证。

In recent years,some scholars have thought that Polynesians from the South Pacific arrived in Americas at least in the 13th and 14th centuries,for many American crops were introduced into China in the pre-Columbian era.Their argument is based mainly on pre-modern documents represented by the Yinshi Xu Zhi(《饮食须知》)and Diannan Bencao(《滇南本草》),as well as the remains of sweet potatoes in Polynesia.In fact,this can be disproved by Chinese literature.The “sweet potato” in Polynesia is a special case that cannot be replicated.The so-called “huasheng”(花生)is not the peanut,and the “fanqie”(蕃茄)is not the tomato.The view that American crops were introduced into Asia by the Portuguese,Spanish or other Western colonists since recent times is not an imaginary construction,but the most logical possibility with plenty of evidence.