明末清初的岭南佛寺与中外交通——以广州光孝寺和韶州南华寺为中心

明末清初的近百年间,即16—17世纪,乃西方所称的"大航海时代",葡萄牙、荷兰等早期殖民势力抵达中国南部沿海,紧随其后的传教士也接踵而来,从而拉开了中国与西方交往与冲突的序幕。明季伊始,"西洋"逐渐代替"西域"成为中西交通的主体,南海道上,来自欧罗巴的"西洋"人逐渐取代来自印度、阿拉伯的"西域"人而成为中西交流的主要对手,维持了千余年的朝贡贸易体系开始遭到西方契约贸易体系的不断撞击。岭南佛教寺院在这场"西风变换"的转折时期,扮演了某种微妙的角色:最初来华的传教士被广东地方官员视为出家僧人而安置于寺院之中;而来穗贸易、朝贡的西方商贾和使臣,虽与宗教或僧人无涉,也往往被安置于佛寺之中。这一有趣现象,反映了岭南海峤之地在中外交通中的特殊地位、朝廷对外交通政策的不确定性以及地方官员对外国人的恐惧心理。种种因缘巧合,遂使唐宋以后本已淡出中西交通主流的岭南佛寺再次成为对外交往的前沿,成为广东地方官员与来华洋人交往、周旋的中介和缓冲,见证了一系列中西交通的历史事件,在中西文化交流史上写下了有案可稽却又不太引人注目的精彩一笔。

The Buddhist Monastery and the Cultural Intercourse between the West and China During the Late of Ming Dynasty and the Early Days of Qing Dynasty

The time between 16th and 17th centuries,which is about 100 years between the late Ming dynasty and the early Qing dynasty,is called the Great Navigation Era,for the early colonialists such as Portuguese and Dutchmen had reached the coastal area of the South China,whom were followed by the Christian missionaries,and all these meant the start of prologue to the intercourse and conflict between the West and China.In the late Ming dynasty the European countries began to replace the western regions(西域)of China as the main part of the cultural intercourse between the West and China,and the businessmen from Europe began to replace those from the western regions such as India and Arabia as the main counterparts of the commercial intercourse.The envoys trade system began to conflict with the western contract trade system.In this transforming time the Buddhist monasteries in Canton played some delicate roles.The early missionaries were regarded as monks and were arranged to stay in the Buddhist monastery,and both the businessmen and the envoys from the West who had no relation with religion and monk were also arranged to stay in the monasteries by the officials in Canton.This funny phenomenon reflected the special role of Canton in the early cultural intercourse between the West and China,the uncertainty of the diplomatic policy to the West,and the apprehension to the foreigners by the officials in Canton.By so many lucky coincidences,the Buddhist monasteries in Canton,which had withdrawn from the mainstream of cultural exchange,appeared in the fronts again,used as intermediary and buffer by the officials in Canton to contact and deal with foreigners,witnessed many historical events and recorded a splendid episode in the history of cultural intercourse between the West and China.