历史与想象——西方视野中的中国历史

从马可·波罗到伏尔泰,从黑格尔到费正清,从列文森到柯文,中国历史的图像在西方的想象中,随着其自身历史和中西交往的进程几经反复和变迁,价值评价也屡历颠覆。尽管如此,作为文化的异邦,中国历史对西方的吸引力始终如一。但对于这种富于想象成分的中国历史虚构“游戏”,西方也乐此不疲。这其中既脉动着对最终真相和合理解释的孜孜以求,更讲述着在广阔未知领域展开想象冒险的一次次奇妙航程。

History and Imagination the Chinese History in the Eyesight of the West

From Marc Polo to Voltaire,from Levinson to Ke Wen,in the Westerners' imagination,Chinese history is changing and repeating with its own history and the communicative process between the east and west.And its values also overturn repeatedly.Nevertheless,the attraction of Chinese history to the West is always the same.Although Chinese history is the same as well,the imaginary game of which is a great fascination for the West.Among them permeates the pursuit of the ultimate truth and reasonable explanation,meanwhile it represents the marvelous voyage taken in the vast unknown fields.The imagination inspired by the curiosity about the truth approximately repays people's achievements of new angles and getting new knowledge.In fact the persistent pursuit of the truth and the bold imagination possibly are the two wings to visit the history palace.It is the imaginative wings that adorn history colorfully,and this is the reason that it grows on today's reality.