Culture

The historical characteristics of inclusiveness in Chinese civilization

2024-08-01   

Serve the construction of modern civilization of the Chinese nation. In the first stage of inclusive development of Chinese civilization (from the origin of civilization to the Qin and Han dynasties), the inclusive foundation centered on Chinese culture was formed. As early as the origin of civilization, the human relics scattered like stars on the land of China have already demonstrated their interactions and connections with each other. It can be said that in the primitive era, the widespread dissemination, mutual absorption, and integration of agricultural and handicraft production technologies, as well as the accompanying development of culture and art, have already shown the dawn of inclusiveness in Chinese civilization. With the deepening of cultural interaction and exchange circles and networks centered on the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, the political and cultural center of Chinese civilization development gradually formed. Through political integration and ethnic cohesion during the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, the Chinese consciousness of various political forces in the Central Plains continued to strengthen. During the Spring and Autumn period, various political powers competing for dominance called for "respecting the king and resisting foreigners". During the Warring States period, the seven warlords merged with each other and continuously promoted the county system that broke down feudal barriers. Finally, with the establishment of the centralized bureaucratic state of Qin, local homogeneous administrative management was achieved, supplemented by unified measurement and writing, further providing essential guarantees for homogenization and unity. The Han Dynasty continued and expanded the core scope of Chinese civilization, and strengthened its political and cultural influence on the surrounding areas. Through the above historical process, the political concept of "great unity" in China has been formed and firmly established. The formation of the core of Huaxia cohesion has also contributed to the first climax of inclusive development of Chinese civilization, mainly manifested in the following aspects. One is to expand the rule of prefectures and counties in the surrounding areas of the Central Plains, bringing together and integrating more people from the surrounding areas of China into China; Secondly, under the influence of Chinese political civilization and advanced productive forces, more ethnic groups in the surrounding areas have entered the stage of civilization development and formed a wide political relationship network based on clan relations; Thirdly, people from the surrounding areas of China migrated towards the Great Wall border, and some even came under the rule of prefectures and counties, such as the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, Qiang, etc; Fourthly, the Western Regions have become a hub for the exchange of Chinese and Western civilizations, with a large number of animals, plants, handicrafts, as well as music, dance, acrobatics and other arts being introduced into the Central Plains. Especially Buddhism, it first entered the Western Regions and then developed and spread to the interior of the Central Plains. In the second stage of inclusive development of Chinese civilization (from the Three Kingdoms to the Sui and Tang dynasties), an open and inclusive pattern was formed from the integration of the Hu and Han ethnic groups to the integration of the four seas and one family. Since the end of the Han Dynasty, the rule of the Central Plains has been disorderly, and ethnic minorities distributed in surrounding areas have taken advantage of the situation to enter the Central Plains in large numbers. During this process, frequent and active exchanges, communication, and integration were carried out among various ethnic groups. On the one hand, in order to establish their rule, the Hu ethnic regime accepted Chinese political civilization and promoted Han culture; On the other hand, the rise and fall of the Five Hu regime resulted in the collapse of the regime and a change in identity on the losing side. Some assimilated into the Han people, while others transformed into other ethnic groups, thus forming a situation of great integration of the Chinese nation. The historical experience of the fusion of Hu and Han during the Northern and Southern Dynasties created ideological and social conditions for the openness and inclusiveness of Chinese civilization during the Sui and Tang dynasties. The Sui Dynasty lasted for a short period of time, but restored the unified ruling order centered on Huaxia, re establishing Huaxia's central position as the cohesive core and the development of Chinese civilization. The Tang Dynasty further planned and expanded on the basis of the Sui Dynasty, promoting innovation in the border governance system - the system of frontier prefectures and states, strengthening political identity, economic interaction, cultural exchange, and population integration, and promoting the formation of a new community identity. In terms of ethnic relations, on the one hand, the Huaxia center has developed from an inclusive ethnic policy of "if you are not of our ethnicity, your heart must be different" to an inclusive ethnic policy of "loving as one", and on the other hand, it is the centripetal development of the surrounding areas under the political framework of the "Heavenly Khan". Based on political system innovation and extensive ethnic exchanges and integration, the prosperous Tang Dynasty presented a mixed ethnic pattern of "Yi and Xia", a cultural landscape of blending Hu and Han styles, and an overall social state of "four seas sharing the same style". At the same time, the prosperous, harmonious, and open atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty also generated widespread attraction to the outside world, with a large number of foreign cultures being introduced, making the Tang Dynasty an open world cultural center. In the third stage of inclusive development of Chinese civilization (from the Five Dynasties to the Song and Jin dynasties), the plural "China" formed mutual recognition, and the cohesion of cultural "unity" was strengthened. After the An Lushan Rebellion, the political unity of the Tang Dynasty was difficult to maintain. The Central Plains region experienced the turmoil of the Five Dynasties period, and the Khitans, Dangxiang, and others, who were originally on the edge of China, took advantage of the influence of Tang Dynasty political civilization to establish their own countries. The development of Chinese history entered the period of Song Liao Xia Jin coexistence. On the one hand, the Chinese civilization centered around the Song Dynasty still occupies a cultural and economic core position; On the other hand, the overall balance of power among various political entities makes it difficult to achieve a unified situation. In this situation, various forces are adjusting one after another to promote the inclusiveness of Chinese civilization into a new stage of development. In the dispute between orthodoxy and 'China', a mutual recognition of each other's family was formed. In the Northern Song Dynasty, which inherited the cultural "China", literati actively promoted the exploration of the "orthodox theory", recognized the orthodox status of Northern Wei, and thus understood the relationship between Song and Liao, Jin, and Xia. At the same time, they hope to gain advantages by enhancing the cultural connotation of "China", thereby pushing Chinese culture to its peak. Although Liao (Khitan), Jin, and Xia were established by non Han ethnic groups, they accepted the concept of unification politically and actively followed Chinese civilization and Confucian culture culturally, promoting the integration of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Based on the concept of political and cultural integration, both the Liao and Jin dynasties claimed to be China and recognized each other with the two Song dynasties. At the same time, local governments have also strengthened their Chinese identity. The Western Liao regime, which ruled the Western Regions, continued the legal system of the Liao Dynasty and promoted the sustained and far-reaching influence of Chinese civilization in the Western Regions. Other border regimes within the scope of Chinese unity, such as the Gaochang Uyghurs, Khotan, Karakhanid dynasties, Tubo, Dali, etc., further strengthened Chinese identity and formed tribute and enfeoffment relationships with Liao, Song, Jin, and others, actively integrating into Chinese culture. Overall, during this period, the unified political situation centered around China no longer continued, and a new situation emerged where the Chinese regime was no longer the only or even the political center. However, the new development trend of "cultural relations being heavier and racial relations being lighter" that has gradually formed since the Southern and Northern Dynasties has been reflected in the political field, and the new concept of "unification" that is not based on race but on culture has accelerated its brewing. In the fourth stage of inclusiveness in Chinese civilization (Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties), the boundaries of the state and ethnicity and the subjectivity of Chinese civilization were established and consolidated. The Yuan Dynasty blended the north and south, rebuilt the political unity of ancient China, and strengthened the integrated management of border areas through the provincial system, postal system, etc., thus building a more stable and convenient spatial field for communication, exchange, and integration among various ethnic groups, achieving the great migration and integration of people. In the Yuan Dynasty, a new development situation of the Chinese nation was formed with the concept of "mixing north and south, Hu and Han families". Ethnic groups lived together and interacted with each other, and the phenomenon of individual ethnic integration became more common. Although the Ming Dynasty was not as strong as the Yuan Dynasty in terms of direct jurisdiction, it still continued the political pattern of great unity. At the same time, the new development of Confucianism has also re elevated cultural cohesion beyond political and military centers. After experiencing the historical process of diverse ethnic groups blending and extensive cultural exchanges in the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty further developed an open and inclusive religious policy. After Confucianism transferred to Yangming's Neo Confucianism, it opened up a path of convergence with Buddhism and Taoism. Along with the sinicization process of the Western Regions people in the Yuan Dynasty, Islamic culture in the Ming Dynasty further integrated into Chinese culture. The new development of openness and inclusiveness in Chinese culture during the Ming Dynasty was also reflected in the absorption of Western culture. With the entry of Christian missionaries into China, Western learning, which is different from traditional Chinese culture, was introduced. On the one hand, it spread Christian doctrine and Western science and technology; On the other hand, facing two completely different cultures has sparked a debate over the origin of Chinese national culture between the East and the West, known as the "orthodox tradition". The Qing Dynasty completed the political construction of unifying China, and the Sino Russian Nibuchu Treaty referred to all Qing Dynasty citizens as "Chinese". Since the late Qing Dynasty, in the face of imperialist aggression against China, a common historical destiny has given rise to a shared Chinese national consciousness, and the Chinese nation has begun to move from freedom to self-awareness. Overall, during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, with the continuous development and consolidation of the "unification" of China and the overall Chinese nation, as well as the westward and eastward movements, the inclusiveness of Chinese civilization presented two aspects: internally, the close integration of political unification and the subjectivity of Chinese civilization; Externally, there is a clear distinction between domestic and foreign cultures. While there is exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilizations, there is also a struggle between them, and maintaining the subjectivity of Chinese civilization has become a universal consensus. This also provided spiritual support for safeguarding the integrity of national territorial sovereignty and the awakening of the Chinese nation in modern times. In summary, the inclusive historical development of Chinese civilization is closely related to the historical process of communication, exchange, and integration among the Chinese nation. The outstanding inclusiveness of Chinese civilization determines the historical orientation of communication, exchange, and integration among the Chinese nation, manifested in different characteristics at each stage, but without violating long-term regularity, it promotes the development direction of regularity, and even determines the development appearance of a new stage. On the contrary, the historical evolution of the inclusiveness of Chinese civilization also has the characteristics of long-term regularity and development stages, and there is a clear progressive relationship between different development stages, thus laying a historical foundation for the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture. (New Society)

Edit:NingChangRun Responsible editor:LiaoXin

Source:China Social Science News

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