「變亂祖制」與「師夷製器」－－晚清中、日漢文遊記中的變法思議

Bianluan Zuzhi（變亂祖制）and Shiyi Zhiqi（師夷製器）－Late Qing Chinese-Japanese Chinese Travel Notes and its Philosophy of Reform

政教同源的中、日兩國，在十九世紀先後迫於西方國家武力威逼而大開口岸對外通商，在國家主權備受威脅的變局之下，兩國的知識份子開始思考變法自強以抵禦外侮。透過鴉片戰爭後、甲午戰爭前中、日知識份子在漢文遊記裡的變法論述，可知兩國知識份子在於面對國家變局之際的變法思慮。日本為重振國勢而進行政權改易，變動固有政權難免的擾嚷過程，讓中國知識份子領略到了改變固有制度的不易，提出了運會之說試圖齊一國論接受變法改制的思想，而在日本變法飽受外界變亂祖制的批評之中，中國的知識份子卻從中看見了應時取捨的取法方向，為中國的變法之路提供方向。然而國內對於變法與否的紛亂意見，讓中國的自強舉措慢步於日本之後，即使是阻力較小的「師夷製器以制夷」改革，中國依然陷入反覆的眾論之中，無法像日本在開埠之初便順利推行，這樣的結果讓人不難預見日後的中、日國勢轉變。

China and Japan share similar origins in regime and religion. Both countries in the 19th century suffered through repeated incursions and martial force from the West to open up their nations to European countries. At that time, owing to the intimidation from the West towards the national apparatus, the intellectuals in both China and Japan began considering how to reform the government and strengthen themselves to withstand being humiliated by the West. By examining the discourses seen in the travel literature of the Chinese and Japanese intellectuals during the interval of the Opium War and the Sino-Japanese War, one finds the pervasiveness of reform thinking of these figures as they faced a period of inevitable change. The Japanese carried out changes in political power to increase national strength, and this fluctuation in power was undoubtedly a trouble process, allowing the Chinese intellectuals to neglect the problem of change in its inherent government and political system, but just highlighted how important uniform national thinking was in accepting reforms and changes in social systems. During a time when Japan underwent governmental and political reforms, while faced severe criticisms from Western nations, the Chinese intellectuals realized a path they could adapt to, a path that provided reform for its nation. However, the nation as a whole had divergent views towards reform, making China’s self-strengthening progress slower compared to Japan. Even though the systematic reforms of the nation was considerably lower in resistance, China still became trapped in continual bickering and argument, unable to become a modern nation like Japan smoothly, and therefore this type of conclusion allows one to predict with regret the future shifts in power of China and Japan.