圖像、調查與翻譯：製作長白山「瑞樹」

Image, Investigation, and Translation: The Auspicious Tree of Mount Changbai and Qing Imperial Legitimacy

長白山被視為清朝先祖誕生之地，因此不僅被視為清帝國的聖山，山中生長的樹木更常被與清之國運相提並論。乾隆皇帝於乾隆十七年（1752）所作的〈瑞樹歌〉，即是歌詠生長於長白山深處的異樹。此樹不僅巨大，且單單一棵樹上即生長了多達八樣樹種各異的樹葉與毬果，樹幹上甚至有靈芝九本環附而生，因而被乾隆皇帝視為象徵「開我國家萬年有道無疆基」之瑞樹。本文即以清宮所藏三件與此瑞樹有關的圖繪為中心，包括臺北故宮所藏王幼學畫《瑞樹圖軸》、北京故宮所藏余省、王幼學畫《瑞樹圖冊》與余省畫《瑞樹圖冊》，結合滿、漢文檔案，探討乾隆皇帝為何對此八種樹充滿興趣，又如何派遣團隊去實地調查此傳說中的異樹。更重要的是，乾隆皇帝的團隊如何斟酌八種樹種名稱的滿漢翻譯？宮廷畫家如何有意識地使用不同風格與構圖格套？最後，本文將試圖論證乾隆皇帝如何透過外來的擬真風格與自然調查的手段，在現實層面上將滿人的根源建構成與統治正統性有關的瑞兆。

Mount Changbai was considered the birthplace of the ancestors of the Qing dynasty, thus being situated as not only a sacred mountain of the Qing Empire but also a symbol frequently associated with its destiny. In the seventeenth year of his reign (1752), the Qianlong Emperor composed“Song of the Auspicious Tree”瑞樹歌, which extols an extraordinary tree that grows deep within the mountain. Beyond its enormous size, the tree was said to bear up to eight different types of leaves and fruits, as well as having lingzhi mushrooms growing in a ring around its trunk. As such, Qianlong regarded it as symbolizing the everlasting prosperity and boundless territory of the state. The present article focuses on three works created in the Qing court that depict the tree: a monumental hanging scroll titled“Auspicious Tree”瑞樹圖軸by Wang Youxue held by the National Palace Museum in Taipei and two collections of paintings that share the same title of Collection of the Auspicious Tree瑞樹圖冊, one by Yu Sheng and Wang Youxue with the other by Yu Sheng alone, which are both in the possession of the Palace Museum in Beijing. By incorporating materials in both Manchu and Chinese from the imperial archives, this study reconstructs the Qianlong Emperor’s fascination with this auspicious tree and why he dispatched a team to conduct an on-site investigate. Furthermore, it examines the conscious choices made by the investigative team regarding the translation of the names of the eight species of trees from Manchu into Chinese, as well as the deliberate use of different artistic styles and pictorial traditions by court painters. This article ultimately demonstrates how the Qianlong Emperor employed a combination of a European illusionistic style and scientific investigation practices to construct a tangible connection between his Manchu ancestral roots and ruling legitimacy over the Qing.