中国古代新闻事业周代起源说的观念史考察

A Historical Examination of the Idea of Zhou Dynasty Origins of Ancient Chinese Journalism

晚清民国时期,《春秋》是否是报纸被反复讨论,形成了中国古代新闻事业起源于周代的历史观念。在这个历史观念演化历程中,一个关键的嫁接点就是王安石关于《春秋》是“断烂朝报”的说法。从王安石的观点引申出《春秋》是报纸的说法,并非时人的历史“误置”,而是一种刻意的历史“嫁接”。这种“嫁接”的背后,蕴含了晚清民国时期国人追寻近代新闻事业合法性、现代性和神圣性的诉求。中国古代新闻事业的周代起源观念是比附现代新闻事业而产生的,这种比附难免有牵强附会之嫌,但其背后却自有存在之物,并为以现代理论语境照射古代中国的政治传播问题打开了一扇窗口。

In the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China,there was ongoing debate about whether the Spring and Autumn Annals could be considered a newspaper,which led to the historical notion that ancient Chinese journalism had its origins in the Zhou Dynasty.A pivotal point in this idea's evolution was Wang Anshi's assertion that the Spring and Autumn Annals was a collection of"worthless records."From the perspective of historical contextualism,deriving the notion that the Spring and Autumn Annals was a modern newspaper from this claim is not a historical"misplacement"by people of the time but an intentional historical"grafting"This"grafting"reflects the Chinese pursuit of legitimacy,modernity,and sanctity in journalism during the late Qing and Republican periods.The idea that ancient Chinese journalism originated in the Zhou Dynasty,although seemingly farfetched,is supported by evidence and provides a framework for using modern theory to analyze political communication issues in ancient China.