苍茫谁尽东西界——王—韬《漫游随录》、《扶桑游纪》读解

作为晚清文学知识分子中最早接触西方传教士和西方文明者,王韬对于西方文明的认知解读接受,在时间上可以分解为上海墨海书馆时期、香港英华书院时期、英国协助理雅各佐译“中国经典”时期以及返港后在香港、上海主持《循环日报》和格致书院时期;而在对待西方文明的内容上,王韬的态度又可以分解为对待以新教为代表的基督教、以自然科学为代表的西学以及西方文学等三种不同的取舍方式。王韬的上述心路历程和思想轨迹,基本上都可以从他的两部漫游随录中得以解读。本文就《漫游随录》和《扶桑游纪》中有关王韬对于东西洋文明的观感进行了介绍解读,并就其中的思想成因作了相应解释说明。

Wang Tao and His Representation on Western Civilization in Late Qing Dynasty

As one of the earliest literary intellectuals who contacted the western missionaries and western civilization in the late Qing dynasty, Wang Tao's perception on western civilization can be divided into the following phases: the period of Shanghai London Missionary Society Press, the period of the Hong Kong Anglo-Chinese College, the period of assisting James Legge in England in translating Chinese Classics, and the period of coming back to Hong Kong and then to Shanghai. Moreover, Wang Tao's attitudes towards the western civilization can also be divided into three modes as following: towards the Protestant Christianity, towards the natural sciences and towards the western literature. The above ideas and attitudes of Wang Tao can be revealed in his two travel books: one is traveling to the West; the other is traveling to the East (Japan). This paper makes a critical interpretation on the above two travel books, and makes analytical explanation for the shaping of his ideas.