The Trans-writing Strategies Of The Cambridge History Of China,Late Ch’ing In Western Discourse

Since the 18 th CPC National Congress,China has attached greater importance to learning and studying history.General Secretary Xi Jinping has also stressed on many occasions that special attention should be paid to this front and draw wisdom and experience from it.Hence,history learning and research,especially the study of history trans-writing practice,is of great value and significance.The Cambridge History of China,Late Ch’ing(hereinafter referred to as Late Ch’ing)is a comprehensive history book of China on late Qing.It was systematically reconstructed and written by a group of first-class Western historians under the leadership of editor-in-chief Fairbank.Each chapter is written by one or two scholars specializing in the relevant field,with profound thoughts and creativity.Therefore,the book has a significant influence on the international history circle.From the translation perspective,this translingual,intercultural,and cross-time-and-space history writing is a typical trans-writing.This dissertation considers that trans-writing is a strategy of multi-dimensional,multi-voice,cross-time-and-space cultural communication and social practice.The writing of the Late Ch’ing is a history trans-writing act,which is intrinsically different from intralingual history writing,because of the differences in trans-writing aims and strategies caused by historical and cultural field and trans-writer’s horizon.So,in terms of the trans-writing of Late Ch’ing,what are its historical fields? What are the horizons of Fairbank and other trans-writers? How do the historical fields and trans-writers’ horizons influence or manipulate the transwriting aims and strategies? What are the final effects of the construct ed historical discourse by these strategies? What are the enlightenments on constructing China’s historical discourse system with Chinese characteristics?All these questions are of important value not only in revealing the essence of the Chinese history discourse constructed by Western scholars,but also in positively reconstructing the international discourse system of Chinese history.However,these questions have not yet captured sufficient attention and discussion in the Chinese academic circle.Hence,this dissertation focuses on the key term of trans-writing and comprehensively applies the relevant disciplinary theories(such as translatology,history,etc.)to systematically discuss the trans-writing fields,horizons,strategies,and effects of the Late Ch’ing.Focusing on the primary research question of “How do the trans-writers trans-write Chinese history?”,this study probes into Western scholars’ constructing of the Chinese history discourse system by adopting various of trans-writing strategies and reveals its Occidentalism trans-writing essence of Late Ch’ing.Specifically,this dissertation offers a new definition of transwriting under Foucault’s Discourse/Power Theory.Based on this,interdisciplinary theories of history,translatology,communication,narratology are comprehensively applied.Methodologically,descriptive study,prescriptive study,and case study are jointly used to analyze trans-writers’ standpoint,so as to reveal Late Ch’ing’s occidental historical views and discourse construction strategies.In this way we can draw some methodological references for reconstructing China’s international history discourse system with Chinese characteristics.This study finds that Late Ch’ing is a history trans-writing comprehensively influenced by its historical fields and trans-writers’ historical horizons.On the one hand,the monograph was trans-written in the Cold War period,in which political and academic environment constituted its macro historical field;on the other hand,editor-in-chief Fairbank and other trans-writers share a strong Occidentalism stance,which greatly determines their trans-writing aims.Under the dual manipulation,a set of occidental trans-writing strategies have been formed,which are reflected both in the strategies of writing and translation.Trans-writers completed the westernized construction of China’s historical discourse system with these occidental strategies.In view of this,this dissertation elaborates on the occidental trans-writing strategies from the dimensions of writing and translation,respectively.This research also finds that trans-writers’ occidental standpoint is mainly embodied in two aspects: the historical view of the Clash of Civilizations Theory and the impact-response analytical model(created by Fairbank).With this historical view and dominated model,and a supplemented occidental “China-centered”historical conception,trans-writers’ coordinately apply a variety of Western historical research methodologies and multi-disciplinary knowledge,adopt complex and diverse trans-writing strategies to re-interpret the rule of history evolvement of late Qing and reconstruct China’s historical discourse system.Thereinto,strategies in writing include history agenda-setting and reader acceptance,which were employed to build an overall discourse framework.The occidental translation strategies are not only presented in historical material selection but also in specific translation methods.In terms of historical material selection,trans-writers tend to select those materials that describing China’s backwards,and highlighting the Western superiorities,which specifically include official materials,key personal collections,history researches,archival compilations,documentaries,history works and so forth,so as to prove the reasonability of the impact-response model.For translation methods,westernization strategies are used to translate Chinese history and cultural terms;neutralization is adopted to translate and downplay the history conceptions which imply the western invasion acts;recombination and rewriting are applied to disparage China’s backwardness and praise the Western advantages and so on.Through the dynamic integration of writing and translation strategies,trans-writers of Late Ch’ing produce and construct a set of fluent and logical Chinese history discourse system with the Occidentalism standpoint.Late Ch’ing promotes the international communication of Chinese history and culture,but it shapes an Orientalized image of China based on the Occidentalism stance.Even the patronizingly constructed Chinese history discourse,which is on the basis of impact-response model,is an embodiment of the Western superiority.Nevertheless,this “the other” trans-writing practice of Chinese history discourse is of important enlightenments on the present reinterpretation of Chinese history,the reconstruction of China’s history discourse system and history image.For one thing,we can gain historical transwriting experience and learn the methods,especially the exotic expressions of Chinese history discourse,and the way of promoting historical international communication efficiency;for another,we should keep alert to the Western ideological trap,avoid the occidental discourse stance and ways,and firmly take the Marxist materialism of history as a theoretical guideline.By doing so,can we turn the other’s trans-writing to self-trans-writing,for the purpose of building the Chinese history international discourse system with Chinese characteristics.This dissertation defines trans-writing as an interlingual writing practice in which a trans-writer uses discourse strategies to express the power of himself/herself.In this sense,trans-writing is promoted to be a strategy of cultural communication and social practice.On this account,this study probes into the historical trans-writing strategies of Late Ch’ing systematically,reveals its Occidentalism essence,and finally,outlines a self-trans-writing strategy of China’s history discourse system with Chinese characteristics.On the whole,this research theoretically enriches and develops the conceptual connotation of trans-writing,reveals the social practice nature of trans-writing,then offers a new thinking and methodological reference for the self-trans-writing and selfconstruction of the Chinese history discourse and its international system in the new era,based on the systematic analysis and summary of Late Ch’ing’s transwriting strategies.