The evolving portrayal of Confucius in British newspapers 1700-2000

STARR, Don
Durham University

This article looks historically at articles appearing in British newspapers from 1699 to 2012 citing Confucius or discussing his ideas. The aim is to analyse key features of newspaper images of Confucius at different periods in order to cast light on British knowledge of, and attitudes towards, Chinese culture. For example, when, in the early period, British newspapers reported from Rome on the Jesuit rites controversy, the tone of these articles is scholarly, informative and respectful, reflecting both a generally positive attitude towards China and the important role of religion in British society at that time. By contrast, in contemporary news articles Confucius is commonly ‘cited’ as a rhetorical device used by journalists to inject aphoristic humour into articles unconnected to China.

1700-2000年英国报刊中孔子形象的演变

司马麟
英国杜伦大学

本文历史地考察了1699年至2012年间英国报刊上援引孔子或讨论孔子思想的文章。该研究旨在通过分析不同时期报刊上孔子形象的主要特点，解析英国人对中国文化的认知和态度。例如，在早期，英国报刊从罗马发出关于耶稣会士礼仪之争的报道，这些报道的基调是学术性、知识性且尊重中国，既反映了当时人们对中国普遍的正面态度，又体现出当时宗教在英国社会的重要地位。相反，在当代的新闻报道中，“引用”孔子通常被记者们当作一种修辞手段，以此将格言式的幽默注入与中国无关的文章之中。