China has been a unified multi-ethnic country since ancient times, and the Chinese nation is a 'diverse and integrated' entity. Chinese history has undergone uninterrupted development and continuous integration during the prehistoric and Shang Zhou periods, ultimately forming the unified Qin and Han dynasties, laying the foundation for the future map of China. After the Qin and Han dynasties, although ancient China briefly split, it did not split into many countries like Western civilization, because unity was the common pursuit of various political powers. The strong continuity and unity of Chinese civilization, culture, and the Chinese nation are related to the inherent inclusiveness, peace, and innovation of Chinese civilization, as well as the profound identification of various ethnic groups with Chinese civilization and culture. Recognition of the concept of choosing the capital. Since ancient times, the Huaxia regime has pursued choosing a neutral country and establishing a capital in the middle. Xunzi said: The king must reside in the world. The Guanzi says: 'The emperor is in the middle.'. The Spring and Autumn Annals of the L ü clan states: Choose the middle of the world to establish a country, and choose the middle of the country to establish a palace. The pursuit of 'China' is a powerful gene flowing through Chinese civilization. The rulers of northern ethnic minorities in the Jin, Yuan, and Qing dynasties all reflected their recognition of the concept of "choosing the center" in the process of selecting their capital. The Jin Hailing King's relocation edict stated, 'Taking into account the division of Tianjin, it is only within the public domain that we can refer to the advice of the Ji Shi and establish a capital city.'. When Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty was determining the location of the capital city, Batulu analyzed: "In the land of Youyan, there are dragon and tiger dens, and the situation is magnificent. It controls the Jianghuai River to the south and connects to the Shuo Desert to the north. And the emperor must be in the center to receive pilgrimage from all directions. If the great king wants to manage the world, he cannot stay there without Yan." When Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty decided to move the capital to Beijing, he issued a decree stating: "If you stay in Beijing, it will be a metropolis. The terrain is magnificent, the mountains and rivers are consolidated, and all the countries in the four directions are suitable." In addition, Chen Jingzong's "Beijing Fu" of the Ming Dynasty said: "The founding of the Holy Emperor in Beijing... all the countries will be united, and it will be suitable for living in the center The" Ode to the Unification of the Imperial Capital "states that Beijing is" truly the capital of all nations in the world. "The Qing Dynasty completely adopted the city of Beijing from the Ming Dynasty, and there was no proposal to relocate the capital, which was also based on recognition of the geographical location of the capital city. Identification with the concept of urban construction. The concept of governing the Chinese government is to choose a neutral country and a neutral palace in the world, with the palace located in the capital city and the king ruling in the middle. This is reflected in the form of the capital city, especially in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, which were all characterized by a square and interlocking city form, with the palace city in the center and a clear axis of the palace city or capital city. Jinzhongdu was the capital city established by the Jurchen ethnic regime. After relocating the capital to Nanjing (now Beijing), the construction of the capital city began on the basis of the capital city of Liaonan. According to the "Jin Lu Tu Jing", it is recorded that "Liang wanted to build the capital city of Yan, and sent painters to write about the palace system of the capital city (Bianjing)... according to the picture, they repaired it." It can be seen that Jin Zhongdu was built based on the Bianjing city of the Northern Song Dynasty. Reflected in the name of the city gate as imitation or copying, such as Gongchen Gate being the same as Bianjing City; The south gate of the Jin Zhongdu Palace City, Yingtian Gate, is home to the Left and Right Xianglongmen, while the south gate of the Bianjing City Palace City, Xuande Gate, is home to the Left and Right Shenglongmen. The architecture and landscape forms in the leading space of the palace city are also the same as those in the capital city of Bianjing. For example, there is a royal road outside the Tianmen Gate in Jinzhong, with corner corridors on both sides of the road and willow trees planted on both sides; There are also imperial corridors on both sides of the imperial road outside Xuande Gate in Bianjing City, which are also planted with plants. In addition, there are also plans for water systems, bridges, etc., such as the shape and location of the Zhou Bridge and Longjin Bridge. It can be said that the square and interlocking city form ultimately presented by Jinzhongdu, with three gates and a clear axis of the palace city, roughly corresponds to the ideal capital city planning form recorded in the "Book of Rites: Kaogongji", and can be considered as an recognition and adherence to the ideal capital city form in the Central Plains region. Yuan Dadu was the capital city established by the Mongolian government, and as it was planned and constructed on land, it was less constrained by the original city layout. The capital city of Yuan Dynasty is considered to be an ideal form designed according to the "Book of Rites: Kaogong Ji", characterized by the former dynasty, the later city, the left ancestor, and the right society. It has an urban design center - the central platform, a design axis - the central axis, three adjacent gates, and nine meridians and nine latitudes. The architectural and landscape forms of the leading space in the Imperial Palace, such as the Imperial Corridor and Zhou Bridge, are basically the same as those in the Northern Song Dynasty's Bianjing City and Jinzhong City, which is a recognition and inheritance of the former. Perhaps due to objective limitations, the ideal layout of the capital city that the Central Plains regime was unable to achieve was instead perfectly presented in the capitals created by ethnic minority regimes. The Qing Dynasty's Beijing city fully inherited the capital city of the Ming Dynasty, including the former dynasty, the later city, the Left Ancestor, and the Right Society, and strengthened the shaping of the spatial form of the central axis. For example, the Jingshan Shouhuang Hall was moved to the central axis, and five pavilions were symmetrically built on the earth mountain inside the Jingshan Palace Gate. Symmetrical monuments were erected on both sides of the overpass. It is worth mentioning that the leading space of the palace city still follows the shape of the capital city in the Jin and Yuan dynasties, such as the Thousand Step Corridor and Imperial Road inside the Daming Gate (Great Qing Gate). In addition to the Forbidden City, the imperial garden of the Qing Dynasty, Yuanmingyuan, also carried political functions and was the second political center of the country outside the Forbidden City. The Qing Emperor resided in this garden to manage politics. The political center of the entire garden is located in the palace gate area directly in front of the southern part of Yuanmingyuan. The main axis is the Grand Palace Gate, the Entrance and Exit of Xianliang Gate, and the north-south line of Zhengda Guangming Hall. The Grand Palace Gate is symmetrically distributed with east and west corner gates on the left and right sides, and east and west facing rooms and east and west corner facing rooms on the inside and outside. The Entrance and Exit of Xianliang Gate is symmetrically distributed with east and west Ruyi Gates on the left and right sides. A bridge is erected at the central axis position on the river outside the entrance and exit of Xianliang Gate. This layout is very similar to the Forbidden City, with prominent axes, corner courtyards resembling the Thousand Step Corridor in front of the Great Ming Gate, and rivers and bridges equivalent to the Jinshui River and Jinshui Bridge. This layout represents the pursuit of positive order in traditional Chinese culture. It can be seen that the rulers of the Qing Dynasty had a profound recognition of Chinese culture. Identification with traditional Chinese culture. Chinese traditional culture values governing the country with etiquette, respecting heaven and ancestors, and valuing agriculture. In addition, there is a set of humanistic philosophy established based on the exploration of space and time in the universe, among which the thought of Yi learning is more representative. The names of the city gates in Jinzhongdu include Shiren Gate, Zhangyi Gate, Chongzhi Gate, Duanli Gate, etc., reflecting the recognition of the Confucian governance philosophy of the Central Plains regime. Yuan Dadu also applied traditional Chinese Yi learning ideas in its design philosophy. The northern city wall of the Yuan Dynasty only had two gates. Scholar Wang Bin analyzed in his article "The Jingtian System and Beijing City" that it was because the north was located on a steep slope. If the slope fell, it would be dangerous, but if it was hidden, it would be auspicious. Therefore, the gates were not opened in the true north, and the bell and drum towers were towering to prevent the collapse of the city gates. Huang Wenzhong, a native of the Yuan Dynasty, provided another explanation in his "Dadu Fu" that the reason why Dadu City had eleven gates was to "allow it to fit within the five or six heavens and earth". Number five in the sky and six in the earth, adding them together makes eleven. In addition, the names of each city gate are also based on the orientation of the Book of Changes, such as Li Zhengmen, Nan Yuan Zhengmen, and Li Gua. Li, that is, Li. The Book of Changes states: "The sun and moon are as beautiful as the sky, and the plants and trees in the hundred valleys are as beautiful as the earth. The emphasis on brightness is as beautiful as righteousness, which transforms the world." The Qing Dynasty's understanding and recognition of traditional Chinese culture surpassed that of the Jin and Yuan dynasties, and rituals such as ancestor worship, ancestor worship, and farmer worship were not only grand but also common. The Yuanmingyuan was a large garden built by the rulers of the Qing Dynasty in the western suburbs of the capital city, which was a model of flat garden design. The Yuanmingyuan was built according to prior planning, and its layout vividly reflects the design ideas and concepts behind it. The overall terrain of Yuanmingyuan is high in the northwest and low in the southeast, consistent with the topography of China. In terms of scenery arrangement, it also simulates the map of China, with purple blue mountain houses built on the northwest high ground, imitating the artistic conception of Kunlun Mountain; In the southeast, there is the Sea of Fortune, symbolizing the land of China facing the vast sea to the east, and creating the artistic conception of "one pool and three mountains" in the Sea of Fortune, expressing a deep recognition of the ancient Chinese territory. In terms of internal landscape design and temple naming, distinct cultural characteristics are reflected, such as the serene "Tian" shaped hall reflecting China's ancient emphasis on agriculture, with large rice fields planted to observe the abundant crops during farming; Reflecting the principles of governing the country with virtue, including tranquility, bathing in virtue, openness, embracing the past and the present, diligent governance, and upholding righteousness and brightness; Hongci Yonghu, who reflects the concept of respecting ancestors; Reflecting the pursuit of universal harmony, peace, and harmony, such as Wanfang Anhe and Jiuzhou Qingyan, all embody the Chinese civilization's ancient pursuit of the "unity of man and nature" cosmology and the patriotism of governing the country with etiquette and cultivating culture. Through sorting, it can be seen that the cultural identity of the Chinese nation is an important reason for the continuous development of Chinese civilization, which is of great significance for understanding and comprehending the formation and development of the Chinese national community. (Xinhua News Agency) Author: Zhang Lifang (Associate Researcher at Beijing Institute of Archaeology)