叠加与凝固——重思中国文化史的重心与主轴

葛兆光

摘要：“中国”以及“中国文化”的复杂性促使我们在探索并重写“中国文化史”时，必须反思其重心和主轴到底是什么这样的基本问题。这包括：第一，即使仅仅是汉族的中国文化传统，也是由各种源头不同、性质不同的文化杂糅起来的，不宜采取“一脉单传”的方式来书写中国文化史。第二，由于古代中国的文化在历史上曾经历了若干次“叠加”与“凝固”，中国文化史的主轴正应当在于书写这一凝固与叠加的复杂过程。第三，由于现代中国继承了传统中国，特别是清帝国复杂的族群血缘、领土疆域与文化传统，因此，什么文化才是“中国的”？这一点需要中国文化史格外重视。第四，由于中国经历了晚清民初的历史巨变，文化传统处在“断续”之间，那么，当前中国 “认同”的文化基础是什么，成为绝大的问题？因此，中国文化史特别需要关注“民族”、“疆域”、“宗教”等有关“认同”的问题，尤其是需要讨论，在历史中，“中国”如何形塑“文化”，“文化”如何塑造“中国”这样一个重心，并设定其叙述的主轴。

Superposition and Solidification: Rethinking the Core and Axis of the History of Chinese Culture    

Ge Zhaoguang

Abstract: The complexity of “China” and “Chinese culture” urges us to reflect the fundamental problem of what on earth is its core and axis, which includes that: first, even just the Chinese cultural tradition of the Han nationality is a mixture of kinds of cultures of different origins and natures, so it is inadvisable to write the history of Chinese culture in a uniline way. Second, since the ancient Chinese culture had undergone several times of “superposition” and “solidification”, the axis of the history of Chinese culture should be put on the complicated process of superposition and solidification. Third, since modern China inherited the traditional China, especially the Qing Empire in the complicated ethnic groups, territory, and cultural tradition, the studies of history of Chinese culture should pay special attention to what kind of culture is the “Chinese”. Fourth, since the cultural tradition has been in the state between continuity and discontinuity after the great historical change during the late Qing Dynasty and the early period of the Republic of China, what is the cultural foundation of contemporary Chinese identity becomes an enormous problem. Therefore, the studies of history of Chinese culture should pay special attention to the problems of nation, territory, and religion concerning the “identity”, especially need to focus on the problem that how “China” shaped “culture”, as well as how “culture” shaped “China” in history, and thus set up the axis of related narrative.