19世纪后期中国历史思辨的变迁:以王韬为中心

Changes in Speculation about the History in the Late 19th Century China:A Case Study of Wang Tao

考察历史思辨的古今之变,应兼顾“过程”与“主体”两个维度。西方进步论和民族—国家观念的传入,是近现代中国思想史上的两件大事。王韬一方面构建了一种复合型的过程论,另一方面在主体论上接受了“国”的视角,从而对两者都有回应,在19世纪后期中国历史思辨的变迁中有代表性。借助衰退论的普遍历史开端论,他暂时脱离了华夏中心主义的窠臼,得以构想一种新型的“普遍—特殊”方案,并表现出文化民族主义的特征。通过改造传统循环论,王韬把现代世界理解为“万国”,其中诸国各自循环、生灭无常,又难以察见总体上的趋势。描述盛衰兴灭的“小循环”提供了一种民族历史叙事,它既巩固了承担这一循环的“国”的主体地位,也表述了一个无法用进步论充分表述的目标——“复兴”。通过对传统“大同”观念的未来化,他获得了一种对民族—国家体制的批判性视野,这种批判意识所指示的出路,则是向传统“天下”结构的复归。借助基督教神意史观和传统循环论,王韬为上述历史构想提供了一种合理性论证。他从民族历史和普遍历史的双重视野观察时代“变局”。根据前者,中国处于新一轮由衰转盛的关键时刻;根据后者,世界正站在从“万国”到“大同”的转折点上。王韬认为,这两种变局有内在联系。

To comprehensively analyze the evolution of speculation about history from ancient to modern times,the perspectives of“process”and“subject”should be synthetically used.The introduction of the Western progress theory and the concept of the nation-state are two major events in the history of modern Chinese thought.Wang Tao,on the one hand,developed a process theory of a composite type,and on the other hand,employed the perspective of the“nation”(guo)in his subject theory.Thus,Wang Tao’s theory responded to both above Western theories and became the representative of the changes in speculation about history in late 19th Century China.By using the beginning theory of the universal history of the recessionary theory,he temporarily diverged from Sinocentrism and formulated a novel framework of“universality-particularity”,which was characterized by cultural nationalism.Reframing the traditional cyclical theory,Wang Tao interpreted the modern world as an“all of the nations”(wanguo),in which each nation underwent cyclical and impermanent changes,and in which it was difficult to observe the overall trend.The“small cycle”depicting the rise and fall of nations provides a national historical narrative,which not only consolidated the subjective position of the“nation”(guo)that underwent this cycle,but also articulated the goal of“rejuvenation”(fuxing)that could not be adequately expressed in the theory of progress.Through the futurization of the traditional notion of“the great harmony”(datong),Wang Tao developed a critical perspective of the nation-state system,which pointed to a way out,a return to the traditional“all under heaven”(tianxia).By employing the Christian historical view of divine providence and the traditional cyclical theory,he presented a rational argument for the above historical concept.He observed contemporary“changes”(bianju)from the dual perspectives of national history and universal history.According to the former,China was at that time at a pivotal juncture in its cycle of decline and prosperity.From the latter perspective,the world was standing at a turning point from“all of the nations”(wanguo)to“the great harmony”(datong).Wang Tao believed that these two were inherently interconnected.