Century-of-Change-China-exhibit-catalog-1911-to-2011

Preface
In the United States, one hundred years is a very long time; in the history of China, it is the blink of an eye.
Although relatively adolescent in the long scope of Chinese history, the one hundred years of the Chinese republic
are being commemorated by the Hoover Institution with a display of treasures and historical artifacts from the
Hoover Institution Archives. Although far from a definitive history of China’s last one hundred years, the exhibition,
A Century of Change: China 1911–2011, provides a glimpse of China from our collections.
The decision to mount this exhibition was not a hard one; there has long been a strong connection between Hoover
and China. At the turn of the twentieth century, President Herbert Hoover, the Institution’s founder, and his wife,
Lou Henry Hoover, lived and worked in China. While in China, President Hoover, never one to shy away from hard
work, immersed himself in the study of Mandarin and is said to be the only US president to speak Mandarin.
The Hoover Institution Archives is proud of its Chinese collections, which have expanded greatly in the last decade;
decisions on which materials to display, however, were difficult. Although much was left behind, we feel that the
exhibition and this catalog contain a representative sample of our holdings.
The exhibition includes vintage videos from Sun Yat-sen’s funeral, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek’s and General
Joseph Stilwell’s original diaries, and the art of Huang Zhen from Mao’s Long March. In addition to the grand
historical images of China, less well known stories (those that make the Hoover Institution Archives unique) are
included—they complement and complete the history of the past one hundred years. We were sometimes surprised
in our research; for example, within the files of one collection were two seemingly innocuous pamphlets that, when
unfolded, revealed a nine-foot illustration of Sun Yat-sen’s 1929 state funeral procession and a rare map depicting
the procession route of his sarcophagus through Beijing.
The catalog and the exhibition commemorate, in a small way, what the Chinese people have accomplished and
acknowledge the work of the scores of curators, scholars, students, soldiers, travelers, friends, and donors who have
helped the Hoover Institution Archives document China’s history for the scores of scholars who will follow.
We all owe a great debt of gratitude to the Hoover Institution Archives Asian curators Lisa Nguyen and Hsiao-ting Lin,
who selected the material for the exhibition and tirelessly worked their way through thousands of ephemera to select
those that you see. Nick Siekierski, Hoover’s exhibition coordinator, lent his experienced eye to help determine what
best characterizes Hoover’s collections. Li Wang’s translations make this truly a joint Chinese-American endeavor.
The republic’s founding predates the founding of the Hoover Institution; we expect the republic to endure and the
Hoover Institution to endure. For our part, we will continue to collect materials related to Chinese history, politics,
and culture and continue to look to China as a friend and partner as we plan for the two hundredth anniversary of
the founding of the republic.”
Richard Sousa
Director of the Hoover Institution Library and Archives
4 Hoover Institution
A Century of Change: China 1911–2011
序言
一百年的長度,對美國歷史而言,是一段不小的進程,然而對具有數千年歷史的中國而言,卻只是彈指瞬間,與
中國的歷史巨流相比,美國顯得相對年輕。儘管如此,史丹佛大學胡佛研究所極其榮幸,能以「世紀之變:辛亥
百年珍藏史料展」為題,以胡佛檔案館所藏之珍貴史料與文物,來紀念辛亥革命與民國肇建一百周年。
此次舉辦展覽,實情理之中之事; 2011 年是中國近代史上的一個重要里程碑,而本研究所的創始者、美國第三
十一任總統胡佛,與中國之間又有著極為深厚的聯結;十九世紀的最後數年歲月裡,甫自史丹佛大學畢業不久的
胡佛,偕其夫人露亨利,前往中國天津工作與生活,並曾遇上庚子拳亂。在華期間,胡佛夫婦辛勤工作,並努力
學習中文,據知,胡佛也是迄今唯一一位會說中文的美國總統,他在天津時努力學習中文的照片,也在此次展覽
中陳列出來。
胡佛檔案館向來對近代中國深厚與豐富的史料收藏,引以為豪,過去十年來,我們在這方面更有著極大的突破。
受限於展覽空間有限,展出史料與文物的挑選,反成了困難之事。本次展覽,我們致力於呈現近代中國社會、政
治、文化與藝術等豐富面向,以及其歷史變遷,儘管獲選展出的材料僅占胡佛整體館藏的一小部分,我們仍希望
透過此次展覽與目錄集的出版,讓世人瞭解胡佛近代中國館藏的廣度、深度與多樣性。
此次展覽與目錄出版,雖然無法精細與完整地涵蓋中國過去百年來的歷史滄桑,然而透過精心策劃的史料展覽,
我們依然得以讓世人對於這段歷史,領略一二:我們展出了廣為人所知、卻鮮為人所見的孫中山奉安典禮完整記
錄片,我們也展出蔣介石與史迪威將軍的日記原件、與紅軍長征時期黃鎮的素描畫作等等。籌備此次展覽的過程
中,有時會出現意外的驚喜與發現。例如,我們在某一份私人檔案裡,有兩份乍看並不起眼的小冊子,打開後赫
然發現一份是一極為罕見的地圖,描繪了 1929 年 北京城內孫中山的移靈路線,另一份則是同年所發行、九尺大
小的圖示,內容描述當年南京城內隆重舉辦孫中山奉安典禮的遊行序列。
本目錄集的出版與本次史料展,在一定程度上,呈現了百年來中國人民業已走過的歷程,同時也是許多專家前輩
們辛苦的結晶;若沒有過去曾經踏上中國土地、為收集史料而努力的胡佛檔案收藏家與管理者、學者、學生、士
兵、旅行者與朋友們,以及胡佛檔案館的眾多檔案捐贈者們的貢獻與辛勞,此次的展覽就無法如此順利舉行,而
來自全球各地的學者們,恐怕也就無法從事相關研究。
我們要對胡佛檔案館亞洲館藏部門的兩位負責人林孝庭與阮秋芳,表達最深沉的感謝之意。他們為本次展覽選
取材料,不辭辛勞地在數以萬計的故紙堆中,精挑細選出這些珍貴文物,讓參訪者一飽眼福;檔案館展覽協調員
Nick Siekierski 在籌備過程中, 協助兩位亞洲館藏負責人,運用其豐富的經驗協同策劃,將胡佛檔案館藏的特
質,做出最佳的呈現。王麗協助將展覽的英文解說以及本目錄集的英文內容,翻譯成中文,故此次盛宴真可謂是
中、美合力之作。
辛亥革命與民國肇建,早於胡佛研究所的創立,我們希望民國永存,並以此促進胡佛研究所的蓬勃發展與永續經
營。就胡佛研究所的立場而言,我們將繼續視中國為朋友與夥伴,希冀搜集與中國歷史、政治和文化等各方面相
關的資料。讓我們衷心期盼,在下一個世紀,舉辦辛亥革命與民國肇建兩百周年的紀念活動。
胡佛檔案館暨圖書館館長 理查蘇颯
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