章开沅教授与中国近现代史写作

选题是历史学论著写作成败的关键，要有创新并考虑研究的可持续发展。历史研究及写作需要史实的实证和史识的阐述来支撑。缺少史实的实证，历史就变成一个空架子，但要避免史料的堆砌。史料工作不是机械的工作，而是高层次的智力劳动。转引材料应该注明出处，以示尊重别人的劳动。至于史识，也即史学家的思辨，这有很高的甚至是很残酷的要求，真正的史学家(例如司马迁)，能够达到历史哲学方面的理解，甚至是对宇宙生命的终极诉求，这也要求史学家应该有史学的参与意识。此外，文字表达是一件很重要而又很痛苦的事情，历史学家不应该原谅自己在文采方面的缺失，而应该提高文字表达能力，适当地强调史感，以达到设身处地地与古人对话、交流、沟通。总之，史料、史识、文采三者应该达到完美的统一。

Professor Zhang Kai-yuan and Writings of Modern Chinese History

Topic selection is the key to successful writings on history.Innovation and sustainable study are two factors that are to be taken into account.Research into and writings on history should be supported by examinations of historical evidence and elaboration of historical thinkings. Without examinations,history would be a mere skeleton.But examinations are not a simple piling up of data.Datra accumulation is not a mechanical job;it is an intellectual one of high level.Citations of data are to involve notes of sources to pay respect to others for their work.As for historical thinkings,namely thinkings by historians,highly demanding,or cruelly demanding requirements are not to be aovided.A genuine historian(Sima Qian for example)has his own competence in history and philosophy,or an ultimate concern for life.This requires that historians have historical participation awareness.In addition,written expression is an important yet painful thing.A historian should never forgive himself for his lack of literary grace.He should enhance his ability in written expression,with a moderate emphasis on historical sense so as to communicate with the ancients.In a word,historical data,historical thinkings and literary grace should form a perfect unity.