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StaringintotheGazeofaVeryDifferentBeast--AComparisonBetweenChineseCivilizationandWesternCivilization
StaringintotheGazeofaVeryDifferentBeast--AComparisonBetweenChineseCivilizationandWesternCivilization
AncientTreasuresmayhelpexplainingbighistoricmysteriesofChina:Whydidourancestorsleaveusalegacythatissodistinctive?WhywasChinaEmpiredecliningwhiletheWestcatchingupinthelatecenturies?
RecentlyIvisitedanexhibitiononEtruscanCivilizationinShanghaiMuseum.Besideitsattractiveexoticstyle,ithasauniqueemphasisontheinstrumentalform aformthatreflectsacultureofthesea.There,twovesselscaughtmyeyes.Oneisawinecupintheshapeofamerchantship. Theotherisapot,whichlookslikeafish.
Thisisveryinteresting.
Ourantiquesconcerntensofthousandofpotsandcups,butasIseeit,rarelydowehaveanythingshapedintoasea-bornanimmorships.Whatwehave,forinstance,bronzegobletcarriedonthebackby4goatsorsomewinevesselinformofabullorpig(gong),ourantiquesreflectacivilizationofagriculture.So,inthefaceofEtruscanrelics,IrecognizedthatIwasstaringintothegazeofaverydifferentbeast.
Whatdifferentiatedthetwocivilizationssodrastically?Let＇sprobeournation＇srootsandlookbacktotheeconomicbackgroundofAncientChina.
"Ifwecomparethesocialeconomytoatree",theintellectualsoftheoldagesusedtosay,"thenagricultureisitsstem,whilebusinesstheboughs".Thiscomparisonrevealstheignoranceandcurbwelonginflictuponbusiness,andanperpetualemphasisontheimportanceofagricultureforthepurposeoffeedingalargepopulationevenintheearlyepochs.
OnceIreadfromtheNationalGeographyMagazinethatarchaeologistshadunearthedtherelicsinaruinedfortoftheNewEnglandcoloniesonlytofindthattheywereallstarvedtodeath.Therelicsindicatedthatthemortalitywasafailureintheireconomicpolicies:archaeologistsdiscoveredthepopulationwasmainlycomposedofartisansormerchants.Fewfarmershadeversettledthere. Theycametotheplacetoexploittheresources,manufacturingmerchandisetoexport. ItwasabsurdthattheydevisedtheplantogetfoodsupplybytradinggoodstothelocalIndians.Unexpecteddroughtshowedup,theIndiansthemselvesdidn＇thaveenoughtoeat,hencetheendofthegarrison.
ButsuchthingscanneverhappentoChinesepeople.Chinesepeasants,inthewordsofFeiXiaoTong,wouldalsotrytosowsomeseedsonsuchbarrenlandasinSiberiaiftheymigratedthere.
OraclebonesarecomingtolightinAnyangonwhichinscriptionsspeakingofharvest,simultaneouslyrustedHellenicOarswokeupfromitslongsleepinthebottomofMediterranean.ArchaeologistsfromChinaandabroaduncovernotonlyartifactsbutalsothesubtleinterplaybetweenpastandpresent,OrientandWest.
简 评
“文以载道”。写文章是为了表达作者的思想，是为了人们读这篇文章以后能够有所思考、有所裨益。“为什么昔日强大的中华帝国逐渐衰落而西方国家却走向强盛?”文章开篇即提出这样一个重大问题。接着从一个文物展览开始，将中西文化差异进行对比分析，从而得出结论——重农轻商和重商轻农的政策差异是造成社会兴衰的一个重要原因。作者的这种思想自然有其道理，但一篇学生习作显然难以讲清如此复杂的思想。所以虽然作者选材和论述角度均很有新意，仍然很难令人完全信服。另外，作者没有重视语篇中衔接手段的运用，给人感觉缺少连贯。