亨利·卢斯之中美相似论

An Analysis on Henry Luce's Idea of Sino-U.S. Similarity

亨利·卢斯对于20世纪前半期中美关系的影响在主流的研究视角中没有得到应有的重视。他得以成为中美关系史上的重要人物确非偶然。这是一位典型的美国至上主义者,有着深刻的宗教背景,特殊的中国情结,控制着一个影响非凡的舆论王国。他坚信美国正面临着承担一个强国的使命,因此有义务在全球范围内展现它的政治、经济和文化影响,而中国则是一片理想的试验田,一个美国化中国的出现,将是美国完成其强国使命的有力证明,"中美相似论"正是为了实现这一"强国梦想"而精心设计出来的。在亨利·卢斯控制时代公司的20多年里,"中美相似论"帮助塑造了美国主流的中国印象与舆论,从而形成了一种对于政府决策的公众压力。

Henry Luce was a controversial figure in the history of Chinese and American relationship. He was the most important creator of American images of China due to his control of the Time Inc. and his special emotion to China. He felt that there existed a emotional pull because of the similarity between the U.S. and China, that China would one day develop in America's image.Therefore,he held steadfastly the idea that the U.S. and China would form the perfect union and the U.S. would fulfill its destiny of being the strongest country in the 20th century.By following this idea, he started a countrywide propaganda about an Americanized China in 1930s and 1940s. Actually, his view was obviously paternalistic and the primary way in which he did that was to misrepresent China to the American people. All the images he created and fostered on China finally were proved as illusions, and the so-called Sino-American harmony had never existed in his times.