From Whence Came the Chinese Mentality of Foreign Worship? 中國人的崇洋心理究竟從何而來?

中國人的崇洋心理究竟從何而來?

From Whence Came the Chinese Mentality of Foreign Worship?

2018-04-17 由 晚清陳卿美 發表於歷史 2022-05-27 由 吳祖諺 發表於出文入化 原文｜陳卿美 (Chinese by Chen) 英文｜吳祖諺 (English by Paul T. Wu)

「外國的月亮比中國圓」，這句話常 用來比喻那些崇洋媚外的現象。中國 人崇洋媚外的毛病屢遭詬病。為何一 個堂堂大國失去了文化自信、制度自 信呢？中國人的崇洋心理究竟從何而 來？簡單說起來，這事還得怪我們的 清朝祖宗。正是他們的盲目自大、愚 蠢無知，為子孫造了孽。如果從因果 的角度來講，後代子孫就是一直在為 那些祖宗還債。這就是一個國家轉型 的代價與成本，但是這個代價難免太 大了，今天的我們仍在承受。 “The moon appears rounder abroad than in China” is a commonly used expression to describe the phenomenon of foreign worship behaviors. The problem of foreign worship among the Chinese has been repeatedly criticized. Why did a great, powerful nation lose confidence in its culture and political system? How exactly did the Chinese develop a foreign worship mentality? Fundamentally, we should hold our ancestors from the Qing Dynasty accountable for our situation as we have been plagued by the karmic dross that was caused by their arrogance and ignorance.

We could appear to be paying off the debt of our ancestors if we were to explain all

this from the viewpoint of karma. In spite of its inevitable great consequences, this is the result and cost of a country's transition which still affects us today. 今天的國人有俗語「外國的月亮比中 國圓」，而晚清的中國也有句流行語， 即「師夷長技以制夷」。這是劃時代 的一句話，是中國人面對西方文明心 理產生變化的一個關鍵節點。探究中 國人的崇洋心理發展，有必要首先從 這句話開始。 There is a saying in today’s era that says, “The moon appears rounder abroad than in China” (The grass is greener on the other side of the fence in English). There is also an old saying in the late imperial era which goes, “Learn from the foreigners in order to gain command of them.” This is an epochal quote which underscores a crucial point in the psychological transformation of the Chinese to Western civilization. To delve into the topic of foreign worship mentality of the Chinese, it is first and foremost necessary to start with the following saying: 「師夷長技以制夷」，此話出自魏源 之口，誕生於 1840 年代。夷，就是西 方。夷人，就是洋人。在當時的中國，

「夷」帶有明顯的貶義，那時的中國 人是瞧不起外國的。虎門銷煙時，兩 廣總督的代表會見美國洋商，還稱人 家是「哪個海洋偏僻角落裡來的紅毛 夷人」。鴉片戰爭後，上海、天津陸 續開埠，中國人第一次見到外國人吃 西餐。夷人用著刀叉，吃著半生不熟 的帶血的牛肉，在中國人看來就是茹 毛飲血，是根本沒有開化的象徵。那 時，國人打心眼裡鄙視這幫洋人。 “Learn from the foreigners in order to gain command of them,” which is a quote by Wei Yuan who was born in 1840. The term Yi refers to the West. Yi-Ren refers to the Westerners. The term “Yi” was pejorative at the time. It was a period in history when the Chinese held disparaging attitudes toward other countries. In the course of destruction of opium at Humen, the representative of the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi met an American businessman who he called a "red-haired barbarian from a distant corner of the sea."

After the opium wars, ports in Shanghai and Tianjin were open one after another, and it was the first time the Chinese had seen foreigners eat in Western food restaurants. Blood-containing rare beef was eaten with knives and forks by Westerners. To the Chinese, this behavior was barbaric, a symbol of primitive behavior. The Westerners were completely despised by our fellow countrymen at the time. 在外國租界，中國人第一次見到了眾 多西洋事物，比如電車、電燈、電話、 照相機……。雖然感到很新鮮、很好 玩，但中國人仍然持鄙夷的態度，統 稱為「奇技淫巧」。當時的國人，看 到火車，「詫所未聞，駭為妖物」。 因為實在想不明白，冒著蒸氣，跑來 跑去大傢伙跟怪物有什麼區別。一列

火車就能嚇到中國人，對待外國事務， 國人除了鄙夷外，還有一種恐懼心理。 It was in foreign concessions that Chinese people encountered Western products such as trams, electric lights, telephones, and cameras for the first time. Even though they were intrigued by its novelty, Chinese people still expressed derogatory attitudes toward everything foreign and referred to it as "wicked tricks." People at the time regarded rail transports as "terrifying monsters" and were shocked to see them. It was difficult for them to understand how a monster was different from a gigantic machine that emits steam.

It would even terrify the Chinese if they saw a train. In addition to despise, the Chinese were also frightened of foreigners.

1860 年代，洋務運動開始後，情況發 生了改變。這是一場由清廷主導的改 革開放運動，師夷長技以制夷，雖然 還稱呼洋人為「夷」，但已經有了向 西方學習的態度。在此期間，有很多 知識青年、政府高官外出留學、公幹， 這批開了「洋葷」的人視野大開，深 受西方文明影響。如學生以留美幼童 為代表，官員以郭嵩燾為代表。他們 在享受西方物質文明帶來的便利、自 由的同時，也在思考著國家的前途， 尤其是對西方政治文明更是羨慕不已。 可以想像，他們也會為國人的自大無 知而慚愧。 However, the situation changed after the Western Affairs Movement began in 1860.

This is a revolutionary movement led by the Qing government to gain control over foreigners by learning from them. In spite of referring to Westerners as "barbarians," the idea of learning from them was already in the back of their minds. There were a number of intellectual adolescents and governmental officials who studied abroad

and embarked on business trips during that time. A whole new world had opened up for those who were first exposed to Western civilization, which profoundly influenced them. For example, students were represented by young children studying in the United States, and officials were represented by Guo Songtao. At leisure, they marveled at the conveniences of Western materialistic civilization and dreamed about the future of their country, longing for Western political civilization in particular. Their shame over the arrogance and ignorance of their fellow citizens can thus be understood.

清末，上海買辦吃西餐圖 Late Qing empire, compradors in a western restaurant in Shanghai

與此同時，租界文化在國內逐漸大行 其道，也可視為西方文明在中國的近 距離傳播。比如上海百姓逐漸接受了 西餐，並以此為時尚。用刀叉、切牛 排、切麵包，吃奶酪、喝啤酒。洋菸、 洋酒、洋布、洋火、洋油、洋車…… 逐漸走入尋常百姓家。以前令人鄙視 的「夷」不見了，逐漸以「洋」字代 替。第二次鴉片戰爭後，英國方面也 曾為「夷」字惱火，多次向清政府提 出交涉，不得在任何公開的文件再提 此字。 As concessionary culture disseminated across the country, it was also viewed as a proximal transmission of Western culture in China. A good example is the gradual

embrace of Western cuisine by Shanghai's general populace, which they regarded as a form of fashion. The use of knives and forks for slicing steaks and breads. The consumption of beer and cheese. Foreign goods such as tobacco, liquor, clothes, matches, oil and automobiles gradually became woven into the fabric of Chinese life. The old pejorative expression “Yi” (barbarian) died away, slowly gave way to the new expression “Yang” (Westerner). The British also strongly objected to the use of “Yi” after the second Opium War, negotiating with the Qing government on several occasions regarding not using the word in public documents. 另外，媒體的興起也助推了西方文化 在國內的傳播。隨著沿海大城市的開 埠，各種報紙如雨後春筍般成立。今 天的國人在圖書館翻開當年的報紙， 仍會驚訝，居然會有那麼多的商業廣 告。確實，那時的報紙廣告就已經是 琳琅滿目，一些新生商業公司為了招 攬生意更會大做廣告。如照相館、西 餐廳、洋布店、洋油店、輪船公司總 是有各種促銷廣告出現。報紙越發達 的地區，人們就越容易接受西方文化。 無形中，報紙不斷發揮著啟蒙的作用。 On the other hand, the rise of media also elevated the dissemination of Western culture in China. Various newspapers sprang up across the country with the opening of large coastal cities. People today would still be surprised at the amount of commercials contained in newspapers of that year if they came across them in a library. In fact, the newspaper industry had already developed a dazzling array of publications and advertisements at that time. There have been instances in which startup companies enhanced their ads in an attempt to attract businesses. Various types of promotional advertising were used by

photo studios, Western food restaurants, Western fabric stores, Western oil stores, and steamship companies, for example.

The more newspapers were developed in a place, the easier for its populace to embrace Western culture. Newspapers had continuously played an unconsciously enlightening role in this process. 洋務運動期間，人們直接感受到的就 是先進的西方物質文明，隨之影響的 便是人們的行為方式與思想觀念。用 洋貨成為時尚，享受西方生活方式也 成為了潮流。此時，「奇技淫巧」觀 念逐漸淡化，人們更願意稱為「洋 貨」。「夷人」變成了「洋人」， 「夷務」變成了「洋務」，「西番」 也改成了「西洋」。 Western materialistic civilization was the general perception of the population during the Western Affairs Movement, which

subsequently influenced people's thoughts and behaviors. The purchasing of Western products became a sign of style, and the emulation of Western lifestyles became a mark of fashionable status. It was at this time that the term "wicked tricks" slowly vanished from use and gave way to the more readily addressed term “Western products.” “Foreign barbarians” became “Westerners.” “Barbaric affairs” became “Western affairs.” “Western barbarians” also became “The West.” 在政治層面，越來越多的思想開明人 士，希望不僅要引進西方物質文明， 還要向西方的政治制度學習。比如康 有為就主張，要全面學習西方國家的 民主制度。後來的康梁變法、清末立 憲雖然沒有成功，但都是在全面學習 西方政治文明。廢除科舉、創立新軍、 創建學堂…無一不是在學習西方。

As Western materialistic civilization was introduced, a growing number of openminded individuals hoped that Western political systems would be adopted as well.

Kang Youwei, for instance, suggested learning about the democracies of Western nations toward a comprehensive approach.

Despite the failure of the 100-day reform campaign and the late Qing constitutional reform, they were all acquired holistically through Western political civilization. The abolition of the imperial examinations, the creation of a new army, the establishment of schools, etc, all of them were developed under the influence of the West. 從西方到中國，從民間到朝廷，都在 發生著變化，一股「西風東漸」的思 潮正影響著這片古老的土地。以照相 為例，當照相館陸續在大城市出現的 時候，宮廷內喜歡拍照片的人還不多。 慈禧比較守舊，直到清末才開始接受 照相，並逐漸喜歡上照相。老佛爺不 僅愛照相，還要進行各種制度改革。 至此，如果用陰謀論的話說，那就是 西方文明完成了對中國的全面滲透。 A transition took place from the West to the East, from the private sector to the public sector. The "cultural influence" of modern Western civilization has had an impact on this ancient land. Take photography as an example, there were still not many people in the imperial palace who liked to photograph when photo studios appeared increasingly in large cities.

Despite being relatively reactionary, Empress Dowager Cixi did not embrace photography until the late imperial era and then slowly became enamored of it thereafter. The old master Buddha (Empress Dowager Cixi) also implemented numerous institutional reforms along with her love for photography. If we were to use conspiracy theory to describe it up to this

point, it would be that Western civilization has become fully ingrained in China. 從對西方文明的鄙夷、恐懼，到接受， 再到崇拜，中國人用了大概六十年。 孫中山在《民權主義》一文中說，自 義和團運動後，中國人的自信力便完 全失去，崇拜外國的心理便一天高過 一天。 In about sixty years, the Chinese transitioned from displaying contempt and fear to expressing acceptance and admiration for the West. Since the Boxer rebellion, Chinese people have completely lost their confidence and developed a worship mindset toward foreigners, according to “The Principle of Democracy”

by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. 崇洋好不好，六十年時間長不長？或 許日本人給了我們一個參考。在對待 西方文明方面，日本人也經歷了與中 國人幾乎相同的心理歷程。他們比中 國人更崇洋、更徹底，但他們只用了 三十年就完成了國家的全面轉型。相 反，中國人在崇洋的同時，還有各種 排洋運動，比如義和團的爆發。正是 在這種一面崇洋、一面抗拒、破壞的 矛盾心理下，中國人走過了一代又一 代人，至今還在轉型的路上。 Is it appropriate to worship the West? Do sixty years seem long? The Japanese may have already served as an example for us.

Upon encountering Western civilization, the Japanese have also had to undergo a similar experience as the Chinese. Their attitude toward the West is far more idolatrous than that of the Chinese, yet it took them merely thirty years to transform their nation in a holistic approach.

Contrary to that, there were various antiWestern movements in China, while the

Chinese expressed their admiration for the West, as evidenced by the outbreak of the Boxer rebellion. It is exactly this ambivalent blend of emotions — admiration, resistance, destruction — that has shaped the Chinese generation after generation. To this day, they are still on a transformation journey.

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