书籍介绍
这是一部由亲历者亲笔写下的近代转型记录。容闳以第一人称，讲述一个几乎没读过几年书的广东青年，如何凭机缘、性格与英语走出乡土，又如何在中西夹缝中确立一生信念——“使中国的下一辈人享受与我同样的教育”。全书最动人的，并非宏大的成功叙事，而是一个理想主义者在时代剧变中的“生不逢时”：他推动留美幼童，回国后却遭遇层层克扣、强制改学海军、五年仅许外出三次的困顿。读者记住的，往往是这些细节里的落差与叹息。它适合所有对“近代中国如何向外看”感兴趣的人，也提醒我们：一个有理想的人，未必能遂其大为，却仍竭力“造一个新时势”。
AI导读
核心看点
- 中国首位耶鲁毕业生容闳的英文自传，见证晚清百年巨变。
- 详述促成幼童留美计划始末，展现“中体西用”下的艰难探索。
- 记录与曾国藩等名臣交往，折射早期留学生“西学东渐”心路。
读者共识
- 容闳爱国情怀真挚感人，其“己欲立而立人”的教育理想令人敬佩。
- 岳麓书社版本性价比高，印刷精良，是了解近代史的优秀入门读物。
- 虽对部分政治人物评价显主观，但作为历史亲历者记录极具史料价值。
精彩摘录
- "Before we were fairly out of the "Golden Gate," we were treated every day with salted mackerel, which I took to be the daily and fashionable dish of Nantucket. The cook we had made matters worse, as he did not seem to know his business and was no doubt picked up in San Francisco just to fill the vac"
- "一八七五年赴美留学的幼童之一梁丕旭（诚），和全体幼童一道被撤回国后，于一八八二年三月六日从天津写给美国朋友Shaw一封信。信中叙说他回国后所受的待遇和苦恼道： 我们回到中国后，真的感到失望和沮丧。苛刻的待遇使我难以形容。……十月六日，我们返抵中国，到达上海，乘独轮车去上海内城，被送往一个长年封闭的潮湿的旧楼房中。…中国官吏靠贪污为生，层层克扣，（给我们的补助和食宿费用）转到我们时，已经只剩下极少的数目。几位同学已在那大楼中病倒，因此疟疾立刻流行起来。........ 高级官员给我们两次考试。他们之中只有一两位懂英文。…十ー月ニ日，我们一行九人来到这所海军学校，是因为考试官党得我们最适合学海军，"
- "我决定使中国的下一辈人享受与我同样的教育。"
- "我最不喜欢数学，尤其讨厌微积分，我认为它对心灵陶冶为益甚少，也可以说丝毫无益，因此在二年级时，这门课我时常不及格。"
- "1846年出国以前就没有很好的汉语基础，仅仅读过四年书，而要在这四年内完全掌握汉文，一般来说时间是太短了。"
- "尽管还有些结结巴巴。"
- "In my despondency, I often wished I had never been educated, as education had unmistakably enlarged my mental and moral horizon, and revealed to me responsibilities which sealed eye of ignorance can never see, and sufferings and wrongs of humanity to which an uncultivated and callous nature and can "
- "I myself began to think I was too mercurial to accomplish anything substantial, or that I was too dreamy to be practical or too proud to succeed in life. But in a strenuous life one needs to be a dreamer in order to accomplish possibilities. We are not called into being simply to drudge for an anima"
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