大英博物馆百物展上海博物馆馆长前言
上海博物馆 馆长前言
Shanghai Museum Director’s Foreword
无论哪国的历史学研究中都有一个困扰，那就是如何摆脱我者与他者的概念，尽量客观地叙述历史。一国历史尚且如此，何况世界史。至今为止，鲜有一部世界史不是以述说者所处的政治集团利益为出发点叙述的。也正是因为这样，世界各地人们的脑中总有一种错觉，觉得本国的历史与文化与他国是不同的、有隔阂的。就这个意义上来说，“大英博物馆百物展：浓缩的世界史”是一个极具突破意义的项目。突破之一，在于它不落窠臼，从人类创造的物品，而非本身就带着主观性的文字记载来讲述历史；突破之二，在于它囊括了200万年前到当代的来自全世界的人造物品，打破了考古学、历史学、艺术史学传统上的学科壁垒；突破之三，也是最重要的，它向我们展示了各个文化独立发展过程中的相似进程，以及这些文化发展到一定程度后互相产生的联系和冲突，彻底更新了我们对“全球化”的认识。
In the study of any culture, a universal conundrum is how to avoid interpreting that culture’s history through a narrative of Self and Other, it is hard enough to be objective in telling the history of any one nation, not to speak of that of the whole world. There is hardly a world history not narrated from the perspective of the political interest group the author belongs to. For the same reason, people who are told of their own history tend to believe that the history and culture of other nations must be very different from theirs. In this sense, A History of the World in 100 Objects from the British Museum is a remarkable breakthrough. First of all, it tells a history of all human beings not through words, which can easily tinted by subjective opinions, but through objects created by human beings. By compiling manmade objects spanning most of the continents and a period from 2 million years ago to the present day, the exhibition also breaks through the conventional barrier between subjects of archaeology, history, and art history. Most importantly, it shows how different cultures share similar processes of development in early human history, and how they react to each other after making contact, which challenges our view of “globalization”.
“大英博物馆百物展：浓缩的世界史”来源于大英博物馆和BBC合作的系列广播节目，该节目中的内容于2010年成书。几年前，大英博物馆作为“世界的博物馆”，本着“为世界服务”的宗旨，开始了全球巡展，将这个由来自世界各地的物品组成的展览推向世界，向全世界的人民述说着全人类共同的历史。这个展览已经辗转阿拉伯联合酋长国、日本和澳大利亚，如今漂洋过海抵达中国。
A History of the World in 100 Objects started as a joint project of theBritishMuseumand BBC, comprising a 100-part radio series. A book that accompanied the series was published in 2010. As “a museum of the world for the world”, theBritishMuseumcreated an exhibition that shares the same name. The touring exhibition composed of objects from all over the world, has traveled to theUnited Arab Emirates,Japan, andAustralia. It is now inChina, ready to tell the story of human history.
上海一直在中国对外联结的历史中扮演着不可小觑的角色。青浦区青龙镇遗址证实了这里曾经是唐宋时期重要的对外贸易港口；开埠以后，上海一直是中国对外交流的窗口；如今，上海已然是一座活跃于国际舞台的经济、文化大都市。作为这座海乃百川的文化代表，上海博物馆非常荣幸能够迎来这个展览。在此，我谨代表上海博物馆，向各位为此展览顺利开幕辛勤工作的同僚们致以谢意，向慷慨资助本项目的英国政府致以敬意！
In China’s history of foreign relations,Shanghaihas been playing a role that cannot be overlooked. An archaeological discovery in QinglongTown, Qingpu District has confirmed that the area was once an important trading port during the Tang and Song dynasties. In modern times,Shanghaihas consistently been a window for external exchange. Today, it is an economic and cultural metropolis active on the international stage. As a cultural representative of the city, theShanghaiMuseumis honored to welcome this exhibition. I would like to express my thanks to theBritishMuseumfor loaning the objects, theUKgovernment for funding the project, and all the staff who have worked hard to bring the exhibition toShanghai.
Dr. Yang Zhigang
杨志刚博士
来源：上海博物馆
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