旅遊、記憶與論述－－蔡廷蘭《海南雜著》的跨界之旅

Travel, Memory, and Discourse: Cai Tinglan’s Trip to the Land Beyond in Notes from Hainan

臺灣古典文學史上的數本遊記，多呈現文人對異地的記憶，並透露文化論述的特殊質性。在十九世紀旅外遊記中，蔡廷蘭《海南雜著》為極具代表性的作品。清道光十五至十六年(1835～1836)的意外旅程，使得此位澎湖文人因緣際會見識到越南的自然景觀及人文風俗。《海南雜著》牽涉到跨越疆界的書寫，而成為臺灣清治時期著作譯成多國語文的特例；今日也因此書的流傳，加深作者在家鄉或異地的象徵性社會地位。故從兩大面向詮釋此部旅遊書寫：（一）先探討蔡廷蘭越南行旅記憶，分從歷險探奇的旅行記憶、越南傳說與諺語的民間記憶兩方面來論析。（二）其次，從歷史論述、風俗論述兩層面，分析《海南雜著》文化論述的內在意涵。本文參酌眾多相關史料，以詮釋此部旅外遊記所牽涉到的文化遷徙流動，並呈現在地文人跨界論述的價值觀。

There are several travel notes that were written by Taiwanese intellectuals prior to the modern era. Most of them contain the authors’ memories of other places and reveal a special aspect of cultural discourse. Among the travel notes written in the 19th century, Cai Tinglan’s 蔡廷蘭Notes from Hainan stands out due to its unique characteristics. The accidental journey from 1835-1836 provided this Penghu 澎湖 intellectual a chance to see the natural beauty and civilized customs of Vietnam. Notes from Hainan contains “boundary-crossing” descriptions, which made it unique in Taiwanese Qing-era writings. It was translated into several languages and was widely circulated. This book gives us a glimpse at Cai’s symbolic social status both at home and abroad. As such, I interpret his travel writings from two angles. The first is Cai’s memories of his travel to Vietnam, which can be further divided into memories of his adventures and folk memories of legends and proverbs in Vietnam. The second is an analysis of the inherent meaning of cultural discourse in Notes from Hainan as viewed from the angle of discourse on history and on customs. In the paper, I consult a variety of related historical materials to interpret the migration and mobility of culture in this book and show the values of intellectuals in boundary-crossing discourse.