緣起

“從西天到中土”是一個綜合的文化交流方案，由中國美術學院展示文化研究中心和漢雅軒發(fā)起，夢周文教基金會資助研究，從學術思想和當代藝術兩個角度去親近印度，進行視覺文化和亞洲現(xiàn)代性的文化比較。讀本中的學者于2010年秋的上海雙年展期間陸續(xù)來華演講；為了讓聽眾進一步了解他們的思想，每位學者為我們精挑了這個選集，以中英雙語出版。

當今的印度離我們既近且遠，除了被西方傳媒渲染的新興經(jīng)濟的龍象之爭和模糊偏見之外，印度不在一般國人的視野之內(nèi)。印度咸稱古國，但作為當代文明，一個甚至在現(xiàn)代西方思潮中舉足輕重的印度學界，并不在普遍意識之中。作為人口的大國和現(xiàn)代國家，印度的經(jīng)濟、文化、科技皆有不可估量的前景；作為中國近鄰與久遠的故交，印度早就應該被中國關注。但與印度交流的當務之急不在于此；中國須要深切思考印度、親近印度是為了自 明。

中國走上現(xiàn)代化的道路已逾一世紀，從革命到冷戰(zhàn)到自由資本全球化，我們的道路一直擺脫不了歐美的世界想象，話語也固定在“東西”和“中西”之說法。無怪中國百年來的各種自強運動的結果，都脫不了西方制度的模式。作為典范的歐美，中國欽羨為“先進文化”——于今天的國情已不適宜無條件借鑒。但面對中國的歷史資源時，我們又往往囿于歐美范式而無法善用。如何在冷戰(zhàn)的兩種西方歷史計劃以外找到中國的位置，如何發(fā)掘被歐美視野冷落的歷史資源，就必須放眼其他的發(fā)展經(jīng)驗。如果要尋找在亞洲現(xiàn)代化道路上與中國采取截然另途，但依我們的“富強”尺度又是成就可觀的例案，我們則無法不審視印度。

中國引以自豪的現(xiàn)代之路是民族革命，徹底推翻過去，重新再造大一統(tǒng)，但結果我們離自己的歷史文化越來越遠。印度的道路則是擺脫殖民帝國，但在民族獨立后依然承繼了殖民時代機制。然而，當中國的“后革命”經(jīng)驗與印度的“后殖民”相遇時，我們又不能不訝于左翼革命在印度至今不衰的事實。目前各種傾向的共產(chǎn)黨在印度尚有四十多個組織，革命經(jīng)驗不可謂不豐富；可是印度又是世上最大的民主國家。這讓我們無法不想：中國的革命是否也與印度的殖民經(jīng)驗相通？而印度的“后殖民”是否為革命的另一種方式？印度現(xiàn)代化的歷程之多樣與豐富，中國無法相比；同時，在日常生活的層面，新舊文化傳統(tǒng)并行不悖。雅利安文明的婆羅門學者和各式傳統(tǒng)修行人似乎與工業(yè)文明不相涉地穿插在都市節(jié)奏之中�，F(xiàn)代中國與印度相遇，感觀上最受刺激的疑惑是：現(xiàn)代與歷史（而且是多層面的歷史）到底如何并存？

印度與中國的現(xiàn)代都因承歐美的帝國主義和資本邏輯而致，所以中印的相遇是設在歐美的大平臺上，繞開歐美無法談亞洲的現(xiàn)代，也無法深切交流雙方的經(jīng)驗。但要脫略于歐美的歷史經(jīng)驗來重新自明，不能夠自閉地緬懷過去；要打開未來，我們更必須把中國經(jīng)驗提升為足以讓歐美也能借鑒的新知識。這可能是印度當代學術最值得國人參考的一面。這系列讀本的作者大多為西方學界熟悉，而且，印度學者擅長的“后殖民”理論和城市研究至今尚是西方新思潮的顯學；比方在當代藝術的領域，就直接影響了近二十年的國際趨 向。

“從西天到中土”的計劃源于展示文化研究中心歷年的一系列工作計劃。2003年許江院長倡議以“亞洲”作為中國美術學院建校七十五周年紀念的議題，囑高士明、吳美純兩位教授主持，邀我并預其事�！皝喼薜碾p重時間”從亞洲各國的民間歷與耶穌歷的并行現(xiàn)象著墨，作為“地之緣：亞洲當代藝術的遷徙與地緣政治”越域考察和展覽的基礎。2008年廣州三年展由高士明、薩拉·馬哈拉吉和我策劃的“與后殖民說再見”再次啟動了對“東西”二元框架的反思�！皬奈魈斓街型痢逼髨D推進前此的探索，在亞洲內(nèi)部作近距離和實質(zhì)的交往。陳光興教授在這領域已投入多年的氣力，承不棄，介入高士明和我的行列，策動了他在學術圈的老關系，論壇才得以順利成事。此中的心意非言謝可以相報，亦惟有以謝忱言表。

2010年，為了配合論壇的開幕，我們適時推出了這一系列讀本的第一版，這是其中多位作者的作品首度形諸中文。為了使這些優(yōu)秀的思想文本以最佳質(zhì)量留存于中文世界，我們隨后又對它們進行了再度校對、修訂和少量的篇目的調(diào)整，其中六本在2012年—2013年期間由世紀文景再版；2017年另外兩本則在上海社會科學院出版社副總編唐云松先生的支持下，由該社再版，并邀請兩位作者——印度重要的藝術史家和批評家吉塔·卡普爾女士和印度女性主義學者特賈斯維莉·尼南賈納為新版撰寫的序言，并調(diào)整了部分內(nèi) 容。梁捷先生應邀對這兩本書做了細致的校訂。

印度和中國在現(xiàn)代境遇中相遇，不獨是現(xiàn)代西化大潮的因緣。遠在西風東漸之前，中土惟一的一次文化大變革來自漢唐的佛教東渡。佛學來華雖然遠遠未有近百年源自西洋的現(xiàn)代革命的殘酷慘烈，但其影響之深遠，也要歷數(shù)百年的反芻，直到宋代才被徹底消化，被納入中華文化的主體。在百年西化的意識形態(tài)革命之后，再訪天竺可以提醒中國自我改造的歷史記憶，并提醒我們在想象世界版圖的“西方”時，尚有一個離感官更遠而腳程更近的“西天”。

張頌仁記于二〇一二年秋

修訂于二〇一七年夏

Foreword: Passage to West Heavens

by Chang Tsong-Zung

WEST HEAVENS is an initiative for cultural exchange developed jointly by the Institute of Visual Culture of China Academy of Art and Hanart TZ Gallery, and is supported by the Moonchu Foundation. The aim is to foster closer understanding of India through contemporary art and scholarship, and develop cross-cultural dialogue based on visual culture and notions of Asian modernity. Scholars represented in this series of Readers have been invited to lecture at the 2010 8th Shanghai Biennale and they have specially selected this anthology of representative writings to introduce their thinking to the Chinese public.

Modern India is both near China and far away. Apart from vague generalizations and supposedly Indian-Chinese economic rivalry enthusiastically promoted by Western media, most Chinese people are unaware of India. Of course we are aware of India’s rich history, but we are less familiar with its modern culture, in particular the significant role played by Indian thinkers in international academic circles. As China’s neighbour and traditional ally, India has long been deserving of China’s attention. As a large modern nation, India also has tremendous economic, cultural and technological potentials. But the most important reason for China to connect with India is to enlighten ourselves.

China has been possessed by the demon of modernization for over a century. From revolution to Cold War, and now capitalist globalism, China has been unable to shake off paradigms set by the West. Even Chinese discourse about modernity has so far been trapped by dichotomies of East/West and China/West. No wonder that efforts at developmental self-reliance have only led to increasingly Westernized economic and political institutions and lifestyles. Today the West that China emulates as the model of “advanced civilization” is no longer suitable for guidance, and yet access to China’s own historical resource has been blocked by the framework of these models. To establish a position for itself outside the two Western Cold War ideological paradigms, to develop historical resources beyond Western ideals, China must make connections elsewhere. Among Asian countries that have struck off on different paths of modernization, but still successful by the parochial standards of “prosperity”, India has much to offer its neighbours.

China’s path to modernity has been moulded by a series of revolutions, having overthrown shackles of the past to create new social forms. The damage of revolution is to become increasingly removed from our historical roots. India has adopted radically alternative ways. India overthrew colonial domination, but has uncharacteristically preserved colonial institutions after liberation. And yet, when China compares its post-revolutionary record with the postcolonial experience of India, we cannot help but be amazed by the prevalence of left wing politics in India. There are currently over forty major parties of Communism in India, engaged in varying forms of revolutionary tactic. At the same time India is also impressively the world’s biggest democracy. China’s encounter with India inadvertently raises the suspicion: whether China’s revolution harbours a latent colonial gene? Conversely, whether the Indian version of postcolonialism is in fact another form of revolution? The singularity of purpose of the Chinese state has achieved the most daunting social engineering tasks in history, but in terms of diversity and richness of historical culture the result is no match for the treasure trove of India, where old and new traditions coexist on the level of daily life. Brahmins and Sadhus of ancient descent are integrated into the fabric of industrial urban life, and indigenous ways are brought into the grammar of modern practices. In the modern encounter of two ancient civlizations, an urgent issue is being raised for China: how do modernity and history coexist?