A pioneer in spreading Chinese culture to the world - Wang Tao

Wang Tao (November 10, 1828 – May 24, 1897) was an outstanding thinker and political commentator of the late Qing Dynasty

With the enhancement of China's economic strength and comprehensive national strength, "telling The Chinese story well and spreading the Chinese voice" to the world is conducive to enhancing China's cultural competitiveness, strengthening Sino-foreign cultural exchanges, promoting Chinese culture to the world, establishing a good image of China in the world, and showing the unique charm of Chinese culture. Tracing back to the roots, Wang Tao, an outstanding thinker, political commentator and writer in the late Qing Dynasty, was undoubtedly the first person in China to personally experience the West and actively promote and disseminate Chinese culture to the world.

Promote Confucian classics to the world

Li Jacob (1814-1897), An English missionary and sinologist, had long been engaged in educational and missionary activities in Hong Kong. In 1875, oxford university in the United Kingdom established the Chair of Chinese and Chinese Dialects, and appointed Jacob Li as the first professor of sinology.

The greatest achievement of Richard's life was the systematic introduction of the Four Books and Five Classics into elegant English for the first time in its entirety. Before Rijack, the translation of Confucian classics was sporadic, while Ricci translated them on a large scale and in its entirety. The first volume of his Classics of China contains translations of the Analects and the University; the second volume contains translations of Mencius; the third volume contains translations of the Book of Books; the fourth volume contains translations of the Book of Poetry; and the fifth volume contains translations of the Spring and Autumn And Zuo Zhuan, which were published from 1861 to 1872. In recent years, publishing houses at home and abroad have added Li Jacob's "Chinese Classics" to seven volumes, and the translations added to the "Book of Rites" and "I Ching" have been added.

Translating Confucian classics into English is very difficult and requires the participation of Chinese scholars. In the process of Li Jacob's translation of the Chinese Classics, many Chinese scholars participated, and Wang Tao's contribution was the greatest. This is something that James has said again and again. In the preface to the third volume of the Chinese Classics (written on July 12, 1865), Richards wrote: "He arrived in Hong Kong at the end of 1862, and the huge collection of books carefully collected by Yu Wu was greatly appreciated, used from time to time, and worked with enthusiasm, explaining or arguing everywhere. He does not particularly help Yu work, and when the work is hard, he brings fun to Yu also. In an 1871 letter, he said: "His value is more pronounced, especially in the translation of the preface to the poem." Only first-class local scholars are valuable to me, and I can't find anyone here to match them. ”

From the annotations of the Chinese Classics, we can also see Wang Tao's unique contribution. The fourth volume of the Book of Poetry, the fifth volume of "Spring and Autumn" and "Zuo Zhuan", and the "Book of Rites", which was first published in 1885, in these volumes, Wang Tao's annotations can often be seen. Without the assistance of a "first-class local scholar" like Wang Tao, It would have been difficult for Jacob's Chinese Classics to reach the standard of publication.

Li Jacob's translation of the "Chinese Classics" has been published for more than a hundred years, and "despite all the shortcomings and bluntnesses, its translation is still regarded as the standard version by sinologists around the world" (Ke Wen, a famous American historian, see his book "Between Tradition and Modernity: Wang Tao and the Late Qing Reform", 39 pages, Jiangsu People's Publishing House, 2014 edition), is still the most authoritative version for Europeans and Americans to study traditional Chinese culture. Wang Tao's contribution is indispensable.

Experience the West and spread Chinese culture

In 1867, the British missionary and sinologist Li Jacob, who had hired Wang Tao to translate the Chinese Classics, returned to China and invited Wang Tao to travel west. Wang Tao then set off from Hong Kong for Europe on November 20, 2012, which lasted more than two years. The Wanderings chronicle his early life and what he saw and heard in Europe. This is the earliest and most comprehensive record of Chinese literati going to Europe in a private capacity, and it is also a vivid testimony to Wang Tao's spread of Chinese culture in the West.

In The Wanderings, Volume II, "A Nap in London", Wang Tao writes: "Three hundred years ago, the British did not reach China; thirty years ago, Chinese did not reach the British soil. In the preface to "Wandering With Record", Wang Tao said proudly: "Yu Zhi to Tai Xi Ye is nothing less than the guide of the way forward, the shortcut to the foot; no matter whether the bachelor doctor has reached the end, that is, the literati are victorious and disappeared." It is not an exaggeration that Wang Tao is the "leader of the way" Chinese to "Taixi" (generally referring to Western countries). Before he came to Britain, although there were two Chinese students Wei Baoshan and Huang Yongqing studying in Britain, there were Chinese giants Zhan Wu, who had been wandering in Europe and the United States for many years, and Hu Mou, a Chinese who had married and had children in Scotland, who had visited Britain, but they were not enough to undertake the mission of spreading Chinese culture; Wang Tao had been in Britain for a long time before China sent its first diplomatic mission to the West; it was a full seven years earlier than Guo Songtao's stationing in Britain. Wang Tao brilliantly acted as a friendly messenger for the spread of Chinese culture.

First of all, Wang Tao was the first Chinese to speak at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Invited by the Oxford University, Wang Tao gave a lecture in Chinese (Chinese), and the content of the lecture was "the beginning of Sino-foreign communication", he outlined the history of Sino-British exchanges, and hoped that China and Britain would deepen exchanges and develop friendship, and send students who listened to speeches to become useful talents. The effect of the speech was: "All the listeners applauded, praised the same, and the walls were shaken." After the speech, the students asked him how the Tao of Confucius in the East was similar to the "Tao of Heaven transmitted by Taixi", and Wang Tao's answer was: "The way of Confucius, humanity is also." Some people have a way of doing this. If human beings do not perish one day, their ways will remain unchanged every day. He also said, "There are saints in the East; this heart is the same, and this reason is the same." There are saints in the West; this heart is the same, and this reason is the same. Please make up your mind: his way is the same. ”

Secondly, Wang Tao repeatedly spread classical poetry and promoted Chinese culture in the form of chanting in Britain, but almost all researchers did not pay attention to and pay attention to this.

Once for the young girl Ai Pear Yin Oh Bai Xiang Shan (Ju Yi) "Pipa Line" one, "suppress the Yang Wan, the song is as wonderful as possible", "Love Pear for its admiration, and make it more verbatim", "Tomorrow's songs can also make Oh poetry, and the sound of the clouds, the sound around the beam, can still be deafening", indicating that even foreigners can appreciate and sing classical Chinese poetry.

Another time was at a gathering of hundreds of people convened by the rich merchant Si Li's wife, "for Man Sheng chanted Wu Meicun's "Yonghe Palace Words", and the listeners beat the festival."

Another time was to accept Jacob's invitation, in the Scottish "synagogue" and "preach the way of Confucius and Mencius" two nights, towards the end, "the ladies want to listen to Chinese poetry, Yu Wei bai Fu", "Pipa Xing" and Li Hua "Hanging Ancient Battlefield Text", the tone is suppressed and beautiful, high-pitched and exciting, the listeners all sigh and admire, saying that it is almost like the golden stone and the sound of the wind and clouds change color." "In this battle, Su Jingshi's daughters all know that there are those who have the way of Confucius and Mencius." Scottish scholars and women have experienced the charm of the way of Confucius and Mencius and Chinese poetry.

Third, Wang Tao himself is a good carrier of Chinese culture to spread to the West, and he conveys the message of Chinese culture to Western society with his visible and perceptible image and demeanor.

His dress aroused the curiosity and interest of Westerners, and some interesting misunderstandings often occurred. When traveling to Hendry, Scotland, children are recognized as women:

The Western Confucians, with short clothes and narrow sleeves, yu du walked in the city with Bo wide robes. The children in the north who had not seen the Chinese, pointed to the eyes and said: "This is also the land of nili." Or "No, Zhan Wuwei Fu Er." ”

Zaini Lidi is a transliteration of chi⁃nese lady; Weifu is a transliteration of wife. Zhan Wu was a tall Anhui native who had been exiled to Britain. Writing this, Wang Tao cried and laughed: "Oh! Yu Ben, a male and strange man, now met the unknown person, and even wanted a female! ”

While touring Marseille, France, a young waitress at a tavern "saw Yu from Zhonghua and xian came to inquire." Because of the rest of the clothes Lido, sighing and envying, almost want to understand and look at it", people can't help but be funny.

The above is the situation when Wang Tao first arrived in the West. After staying for a long time, he further publicized and promoted Chinese culture by contacting British friends, participating in some social activities, writing inscriptions for the library, giving lectures and debates in public, etc.

Cultural exchanges in Japan

In 1879, at the invitation of a Japanese friend, Wang Tao went to Japan in a private capacity to investigate, and the "Travels of Fuso" was written at this time. There are three volumes of the "Newspaper Knowledge Agency" printed in Tokyo, Japan (the first volume was published in Meiji 12, and the middle and second volumes were published the following year).

This recalls the seventh day of the first leap month of the fifth year of Guangxu (1879) and the day after the return to Shanghai on July 15. Its content is mainly to record in detail the academic exchanges between Chinese and Japanese cultural circles.

Wang Tao visited Japan for more than 100 days, and almost every day he and Japanese literati and scholars collected poems and wine, donating books, donating poems, inscribing poems, writing, writing prefaces, and proofreading on behalf of each other. Among the more famous are Taketoshi, who visited China and wrote the "Diary of the Rain in the Stacked Clouds Gorge" and the poems; Sada Shiramao, who wrote the "Collection of Flowers and Bamboo Halls"; Kurimoto Hoeyun, the chief writer of the "Newspaper Knowledge Agency"; Masuda Gong, author of "The Outline of Qing History"; and the sinologist Yasui Heng.

Wang Tao's visit to Japan was a major event in the Japanese cultural circles at that time, and a grand event of Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges in modern times. What do Japanese friends say about it:

Armed with the literati of your country, the rewards are staggered, since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, starting with the recent years. (Washizu Semitsu)

The literati of your country have been in our country for more than a hundred years. If you are a gentleman, you can say that the latecomers are driving on top. (Keiyu Nakamura)

Since the Tang Dynasty, such as Chao Heng and Ji Bei, the ministers have repeatedly traveled to China, and there is not a single scholar in China who travels east. Mr. Jin travels as a Chinese celebrity, and the husband is accidental, and he is willing to stay to enjoy the joy of analysis. (Ganglumen)

Wang Tao also admitted that although he and many Japanese friends are separated by the sea, they have the same heart, "they have not yet met and kissed", which can be called "divine friendship", "the friendship of gold and stone is obtained overseas, and this true intention is not reached."

When "Fuso Travels" was published, Japanese friends Shigeno Yasuyuki and Nakamura Masano wrote the preface, Kamedani Yuki, Andei Nishio Pai, which also shows that Wang Tao was welcomed and highly valued by the Japanese cultural circles.

Wang Tao's "Wandering Records" contains some of the poems he wrote in Britain, expressing the depression and resentment of a scholar who has no way to serve the country and has no ambition, like "The mountains and rivers in a foreign country are the same as the sun and the moon, and the heavens and earth in the Central Plains are in the wind and dust." Poor independent cang, look at the present body", but his patriotic passion is still overflowing, "Still wear the head to think of the country, still spare the liver and gallbladder Ken Shu people? Isn't Wang Tao's spread of Chinese culture to the world exactly his act of "serving the country"?

Author == Lai MouShen Source== China Reading News September 20, 2017

Transferred from: Overseas Sinology Studies