晚清国外地方自治思想输入考论

地方自治思想最初由西方传教士输入中国,主要在其所创办的刊物和介绍西方的中文著作中对地方议会制度和地方普选官吏情形进行介绍。鸦片战争前后,中国士大夫开始在自己编著的外国历史、地理和风土人情的书籍中对西方地方自治进行介绍与传播,内容主要涉及地方议会的形成、构成和组织活动的原则,以及地方官吏民主选举和乡官设置。19世纪60至90年代,游历、出使或随使西方的知识分子置身于实地,耳闻目睹了西方地方自治制度的情形后,明确而具体地将西方自治的信息告知国人。晚清外国地方自治思想的输入过程,不仅暗示着中国由强至弱的深刻原因以及富强目标所面临的制度困境,而且也为中国政治改革提供了一种制度蓝本和途径。

A Semantic Study of the Influx of Overseas Local Autonomous Thoughts in Later Qing Dynasty

The local autonomous thoughts was introduced to China from western countries. Firstly, it was the western missionaries who firstly introduced western local autonomous information into China. It was mainly the introduction of the local parliamentarism and the circumstance of the general election of bureaucracies, which was made in the publications initiated by western missionaries and some western works introduced by them. Secondly, it was the introduction and propaganda of the thoughts of local autonomy in western countries in the works about foreign history, geography and local conditions and customs complied by scholar-bureaucrats before the Opium War. The contents of these materials were mainly about the formation, constitution and principles in organizing activities of the local parliament, and the democratic election of local bureaucracies and the disposition of township officials. Thirdly, it was from 1860s to 1890s that the intellectuals who toured western countries, served as envoys, or accompanied envoys to the western countries placed themselves on the spots, constantly seeing and hearing the situation of western local autonomous system, told their countrymen definitely and explicitly the information about the local autonomy in western countries. The introduction of overseas local autonomous information in later Qing Dynasty not only implied the profound causes of Chinese conversion from strong to weak and the dilemma in its institution confronted by the goal of prospering and strengthening the country, but also offered China a chief source and an approach to political reform.