External form and internal instrument: Visual translation and cultural adaptation of modern technology in the Dianshizhai Pictorial
Jiaying Zhang
Anhui University of Finance and Economics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/pmcs.v8i2.14542
Keywords: Dianshizhai Pictorial; line-drawing translation; cultural translation; modern technology; visual modernity
Abstract
During the late Qing dynasty, as Western learning spread eastward, modern Western technological artifacts entered Chinese society and collided sharply with traditional knowledge systems. Using lithographic line drawing as its medium, the Dianshizhai Pictorial (1884–1898) systematically visualized and locally re-signified technological objects such as trains, telegraphs, steamships, and microscopes, thereby formulating a dual translation strategy of "External Form" (Meixing) and "Internal Instrument" (Neiqi). At the formal level, the pictorial, grounded in traditional baimiao (plain line drawing) and integrating Western perspective, chiaroscuro, and compound focal composition, transformed unfamiliar mechanical forms into "visible forms" that aligned with indigenous aesthetics. At the cultural level, it employed the frameworks of Gezhi (investigation of things), Yin-Yang and the Five Phases, and Confucian ethics to decode scientific principles in accessible terms and reshape their value, thereby shifting the perception of Western technology from "strange and ingenious tricks" to "practical tools for statecraft and public welfare." This translational practice not only lowered cognitive barriers for the general public and enabled the popularization of scientific knowledge, but also built a cognitive bridge between Chinese and Western cultures. It became an important starting point for visual modernity in modern China and offers historical lessons for contemporary cross-cultural communication, science popularization, and the modern transformation of traditional culture.
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