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In the past hundred years, as the only country among the four ancient civilizations that has passed down to the present, China has always been the focus of foreign scholars.
They marveled at China's 5000 year history, It was even more shocked by the unity that it maintained for thousands of years. The British professor therefore asked:
"By what dimension coefficient is China unified for thousands of years?"
So, How did China move towards the road of unification, What is its magic weapon?
The Six Kingdoms of Qin Tong make the world a home
China is a multi-ethnic country with 56 nationalities, The Han nationality is the main ethnic group. Although in different regions, But the identity of Han people as "descendants of the Yellow River" has never disappeared. This has always been the case from Yao, Shun and Yu to Xia, Shang and Zhou, and then to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods when all the heroes rose together.
However, as the political stage of history gradually turns into ups and downs, the common people have a common expectation, That is to achieve "unification". Ying Zheng, the first emperor of Qin, really did this. He swept six countries to establish the Qin Dynasty, It pioneered the centralized system in ancient China, It even affected the historical track of more than 2000 years after him.
In the eyes of the public, Qin Shihuang is generally a despotic "tyrant" image, He belonged to the same kind of people as King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, who was obsessed with beauty. After all, there has been a legend of "Meng Jiangnv crying over the Great Wall" since ancient times, and there has been a move to burn books and pit scholars, In any case, he is a fatuous monarch who does not understand and sympathize with the people. How could the prosperous Qin Dynasty have ended abruptly at the end of the second Qin Dynasty if he had not been so determined to waste money and labor?
However, if we carefully explore the reason why Qin Shihuang built the Great Wall, we will find that this is not his absurd act. Although Qin Shihuang destroyed the other six countries and established the prosperous Qin Dynasty, However, they still face the threat of northern nomads. Especially the Huns, His temper is fierce and savage. Moreover, the rulers of the Huns were also insidious and had long thought of invading the Central Plains.
The Qin Dynasty was based in the Central Plains, The people living in this area are mainly farming people, The common people are honest and dutiful farmers. If one day the Huns really brought people to fight, the people of the Central Plains with farm tools would not be able to resist. Just to resist the invasion of the Huns and other northern nomads, Qin Shihuang would persist in building the Great Wall despite the public's criticism.
The north is the biggest trouble faced by the Qin Dynasty at that time, which is beyond reproach. In contrast, the remaining three sides are much more stable. I There are towering Himalayas in the west of China, The snow is accumulated all the year round, and the cold is abnormal; To the south is the jungle area, There used to be a small country called Baiyue, but it has been destroyed; In the east, there are two sides surrounded by the sea, and we can't even see the shadow of a maritime country.
In this way, there is no need to worry about the north, east and west. In addition to the "protective cover" of the Great Wall, China can effectively resist external threats, The situation of national "unification" will not be broken. Of course, the elimination of threats does not mean that the Central Plains region and foreign nationalities are not linked to each other, Qin Shihuang also had his own solution to this problem.
In the pre Qin period, in order to further consolidate the centralization of power and prevent other ethnic groups from launching rebellion, They will communicate with them on purpose. Although Dongyi and Nanyue ethnic groups seldom come to the Central Plains, But the Chinese people in the Central Plains always call them "brothers", This corresponds to the old saying that "all men are brothers".
In fact, it was not only the Qin Dynasty, but also the concept of "one family in the world" as early as the feudal states were not unified. At that time, although all the vassals led the battle, But there are also many regional "small groups" under them. Each group has the same family name, independent patriarchal relations and etiquette norms, No interference and no interference.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it was normal for the vassals and the vassals to fight fiercely in order to unify the country. But this will not affect the "small group" formed by princes with the same surname, Even if they have different political opinions and attitudes, they will treat each other politely when they meet, Instead of making a red face. This is because, The ancients paid particular attention to family ethical relations, Only when we regard the world as home can we truly achieve great governance.
"The foundation of the world lies in the country, and the foundation of the country lies in the home."
This old saying comes from The University, A few short figures reveal the ancient people's attitude towards the relationship between the world and family. In their view, only when the ethical relationship of the family is expanded and people of different nationalities are regarded as members of the big family, Only in this way can the country truly achieve long-term stability, No conflict and contradiction will break out between nations.
This is the origin of "Family World", It is not difficult to see that the ancient people attached great importance to the family and the situation of the unification of the world. In the era of agricultural civilization, the concept of "taking the world as the home" can stabilize the social situation and properly handle the relationship between ethnic groups. In the Han Dynasty, This thought has evolved into a new term - national identity.
Updating, iteration and inheritance
During the reign of Emperor Qin II, people all over the country rose up against the decadent rule of the Qin Dynasty. In the end, with the end of a massive "struggle between Chu and Han", The leader of the Central Plains Dynasty was also transferred from Qin II to Han Emperor Liu Bang. Since then, several emperors in the early Han Dynasty have worked hard, but if you want to say the most famous, It must also be the well-known "rule of literature and scenery".
The "rule of Wenjing" took place during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In this stage, in order to mediate the economic regression caused by years of war, the two emperors vigorously developed agriculture, It adopted the policy of "light corvee, low taxes, and rest with the people", and also ordered the counties to prohibit tribute to rare and exotic goods. Under the guidance of the political thought of "governing by doing nothing", the national economy soon ushered in a comprehensive recovery.
Shortly after he ascended the throne, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty issued an edict to abolish the "crime of slander and slander" and publicly declared that the emperor should be responsible for the mistakes of officials. At the same time, He also further promoted the parallel system of prefectures and states, It pioneered the pre establishment of the prince system in the Han Dynasty. In dealing with criminals, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty exempted the "sitting together" system of nine ethnic groups in the Qin Dynasty, He also changed torture in the Qin Dynasty into moss punishment, It has alleviated a lot of oppression for the people.
However, although Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty managed the country in a way that eased the domestic crisis, But it also virtually intensified the contradiction of power division between the central dynasty and the princes. First, Liu Xingju rebelled, and then Liu Chang, the king of Huainan, took the lead in raising the rebel flag. With Jia Yi's help, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty quelled these two rebellions, But the policy is still appeasement, The central dynasty was still in crisis.
Because the contradiction between royal power and imperial power could not be resolved, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty had just ascended the throne, Liu Bi, the king of Wu, launched the "Seven Kingdoms Rebellion". Fortunately, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty was a decisive man who had just heard Yuan Gu's plan, Chao Cuo was killed by the rear foot, and the rebellion was finally quelled by the general Zhou Yafu and others. After the First World War, the issue of the separation of the power of the princes was finally solved.
In dealing with the relationship between the border ethnic groups, Emperor Jing of Han Dynasty and Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty have different ideas. When Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty was in power, although Zhou Yafu and others were sent to guard the border, But they did not take substantive counter attack against invasion of the Huns. On the other hand, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty used the policy of amity to appease him, At the same time, they also set up customs cities on the border and granted the Huns as marquises, It effectively eased the border relations of the Han Dynasty.
The Seven Kingdoms Rebellion
But whether it was Emperor Wen or Emperor Jing, On the whole, the attitude of the two rulers towards foreign nationalities was based on the principle of "peace and friendship". On the premise of not fighting against each other, the people of the Central Plains and the people of foreign nations were brothers and respected and loved each other, which not only promoted the integration of all ethnic groups in the Han Dynasty, but also stabilized the overall situation of the world, It has laid a solid foundation for the development of the Chinese nation.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, The policy of the Central Plains towards ethnic minorities has been changed into a "soft policy", The focus is on economic and cultural exchanges with western countries. There is Tianshan North Road leading to the Western Regions in front, Promote trade exchanges between Central Plains and Western Regions; Later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent special envoy Zhang Qian to visit countries in the Western Regions, Bring the specialties of the western regions back to the Central Plains, and strengthen the economic ties between the two sides.
Unification
After gradually completing the unification of surrounding areas, The Han Dynasty began to vigorously promote the Han culture and political system to all ethnic groups. In such an environment, the rulers of ethnic minorities have replaced Chinese characters with common characters and actively promoted Confucian culture, Even the examination system has become the imperial examination in the Central Plains.
It is worth mentioning that during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, in order to better convey the culture of the Central Plains, Emperor Wu also ordered schools to be built in the western regions, It specially teaches the people there the cultural knowledge of the Central Plains. For example, the Huns in the early Western Han Dynasty Shan Yu Fendun He once asked his son to study in Chang'an. Since then, the Central Plains civilization has gradually taken root in the surrounding areas and become the norm.
During the Han Dynasty, the culture mainly pursued the "ousting 100 schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" proposed by Dong Zhongshu. Not only people in all regions and ethnic groups should learn Confucian classics, The content of the imperial examination also comes from Confucian classics such as The Analects of Confucius. It can be said that during the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was the common language of all ethnic groups in China, It also played a role in promoting the formation of people's ideological identity.
In the following dynasties, in addition to the Han people, there were also central governments established by foreign nationalities. They have long been influenced by the Central Plains culture, After becoming the leader of the Central Plains, Han culture was also highly praised, But nothing improved. Until entering the Tang Dynasty, The relationship between the Central Plains and the Western Regions was further strengthened.
For example, in the period of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Gaochang, Shule, Kashmir and other prefectures will regularly send envoys to pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty, Tang Taizong also attached great importance to the cultural exchanges between the Central Plains and other countries. Under his active promotion, The Central Plains welcomes countless Western artists and monks every year, The dances of the Western Regions also poured into the Central Plains in large numbers, which can be seen from the "Hu Xuan Zi" by Li Bai, a poet of the Tang Dynasty:
"After several turns, the dancing clothes are going to fly."
Later, the rulers of the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties also actively promoted the spread of the Central Plains culture. The Song Dynasty vigorously promoted the imperial examination system for all ethnic groups in the country, All talented writers can be officials regardless of their status, which effectively promotes the ideological and cultural integration between nations. In the Yuan and Ming dynasties, Chinese Buddhism was promoted on the basis of Tibetan Buddhism and Southern Buddhism, It has contributed to the development of Chinese civilization.
The torrent of history must be divided after a long period of time. No matter which dynasty, the people's sense of identity has never disappeared, and the unification of the world is the common expectation of all people. The premise for the establishment of ethnic identity must be that a strong nation, as the backbone, leads other nations to form a rope. Because of this, although there are many dynasties in China, the people of the world can always come together in the end.
So, It is also a multi-ethnic Europe, Why can't they create a situation of "unification of the world" in China? Admittedly, Europe, as the birthplace of the Renaissance, has a rich cultural heritage. However, The European rulers treated all ethnic groups in a way of military conquest like Napoleon, Even if European unification is really achieved, how long can this apparent calm last?
Whether it was the Roman Empire, the French Empire established by Napoleon, or the American Revolutionary War. These ways of promoting the nation are, in the final analysis, wars, Knives and guns can't calm down people's anger after all. So until today, The conflicts between Germanic, Celtic and other nationalities in Europe are still difficult to resolve.
The reason for this situation, It is precisely because Europeans lack a unified national understanding. The Chinese nation has lived and multiplied for five thousand years, making it the only country left behind among the four ancient civilizations, What we rely on is a common yearning for peace in the world and an open and inclusive cultural mentality. This is the unique inheritance "secret" of the Chinese nation, which Europeans can't learn for many years.
