Recently, I saw a very interesting question on Zhihu. Why can Europe, which is similar in size, not unified, but China can? The editor will also give some fun answers.
On the world map, China and Europe have similar territories. They have appeared in a unified empire around 200 BC. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, in Europe, Alexander Empire and Roman Empire . It can be said that the two were equal in the same period. However, the direction of history began to fork from here. The three kingdoms were divided at the end of the Han Dynasty. Later, although the Jin Dynasty completed unification, it did not take long. Later, it fell into the dark period of division between the Northern and Southern Dynasties. After the Sui Dynasty was unified again, it was basically in a unified state until modern times. Europe has never established a unified empire since the Roman Empire split.
The editor believes that the main reason for this situation is not only geographical factors (the southeast of Europe is open, while the southeast of China is closed), but also because there are many historical figures who have made key contributions to unification in China, especially these five.
first place: Duke Huan of Qi
As we all know, the direct reason why China can move from Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period to unification is that Qin Shihuang destroyed the six kingdoms and established Qin . This is of course extremely correct, but have you ever thought about why Qin Shihuang had the idea and concept of unifying the six kingdoms. Is it just because Qin Shihuang is so happy to be successful and fights with military force? The reason is of course not so simple. Qin Shihuang’s unification of the six kingdoms was an objective requirement of a certain factor. It can also be said that this objective requirement has deeply rooted the concept of "unification" in the minds of the monarchs of the six eastern countries. Even if Qin Shihuang did not unify the six kingdoms, it would be Qi Shihuang and Wei Shihuang, and this objective factor was the flood of the Yellow River.
Our mother river Yellow River As early as Dayu controlled the flood , it had seriously troubled the clans and tribes along the Yellow River. The people yearn for a strong, stable and unified regime to eliminate the floods of the Yellow River. The first person to propose this view was the first dominant in the spring and autumn ——Duke Huan of Qi.
In 651 BC, Duke Huan of Qi met with the princes at Kuiqiu . The monarchs of Qi, Lu, Song, Wei, Zheng, Xu, Cao and other countries participated. King Xiang of Zhou also sent representatives to participate, known in history as " Kuiqiu League ". At the Kuiqiu Conference, Duke Huan of Qi read out the covenant that he had jointly abide by on behalf of the princes and countries. One of them is that the Yellow River is suffering from serious floods, and a prince has no power to manage it alone. The alliance stipulates that it is necessary to coordinate the governance of the Yellow River floods together, and it is clearly stated that it is strictly forbidden to lead water disasters to other countries.
Because of Duke Huan of Qi's hegemony, this covenant did play a positive role in the first period, allowing the people along the Yellow River to enjoy benefits. However, with the decline of Qi , this covenant gradually became nameless. However, this golden period of the Yellow River governance has been remembered. From then on, any lofty monarch will regard unifying the two sides of the Yellow River as his mission, and this is also in line with the wishes of the people.
It can be said that the contradiction between China's developed agricultural production and the harsh water conservancy and hydrological environment has become a catalyst for promoting unity. In contrast, there is no major contradiction between agricultural production in Europe and the water conservancy and hydrological environment. The people's sense of unity is not driven by the contradiction between the demand for commodity circulation and the tariff barriers of the regime's division. Germany's unity, Italy's unity, and the establishment of the EU's are all this catalyst at work.
The part of the "Kuiqiu Alliance" of Duke Huan of Qi undoubtedly played an inspiring role in the unified thinking of the monarchs of the vassal states along the Yellow River. Qin Shihuang's idea of unification is also affected by this.
second place: Qin Shihuang
Qin Shihuang's contribution to China's unification is not only reflected in the substantive unity of the territory, but also in the same text, the same carriage and track, and the comprehensive system unification through force.Don’t underestimate the same text and the same track. It unifies the Central Plains and the southeastern China’s texts and measurements. Although there are many differences in Chinese in different places, at least there is no problem with communication and transactions. Unlike many European countries, each country has its own language, writing and measurement standards, and there are big problems with communication and transactions.
In addition, Qin Shihuang also built the ,000-mile Great Wall . Although it only connects the Great Wall of the six countries, it effectively prevents foreign enemies from invasion.
The entire Central Plains has been attacked from three sides since ancient times. It is located in the north, west and southwest. The narrow area of Longyou is used as a buffer on the west. Although the southwest is high against the Central Plains, the Kunlun Mountains in the north of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has a height difference of more than 4,000 meters, as well as the Takramakan Desert , known as the Dead Desert, making transportation to the north and northwest almost impossible.
in the eastern Tibetan area of also has a large drop between the peaks and valleys of the Hengduan Mountains, and the traffic barrier effect in the east and west directions is obvious. Therefore, since ancient times, there has been a road from Tibet. The Tanggula Mountain in the northeast of the plateau. Although the Tanggula Mountain is more than 5,000 meters above sea level, the gap between Tibet and Qinghai is only a few hundred meters, and the slope is relatively flat. Qinghai area has also become the main channel for interactions and contacts with the outside world since ancient times. However, you have to pass through Longyou from Qinghai to enter the Central Plains.
So, only the north side is a big air leakage, the enemy in the north can launch an attack from any direction of more than 2,000 kilometers, and it is condescending and flat. The role of the Great Wall is fully reflected here.
The existence of the Great Wall made the core area of ancient China a relatively closed environment, which was conducive to the formation of a unified regime. In contrast, Europe, the terrain seems flat, but in fact there are a large number of mountains in central Europe, with very few open plains and terrain. The split geographical environment cannot form a great unification, just like it is as powerful as Han Dynasty that can't really rule Western Regions .
plus there is a lack of natural barrier around Europe. This situation is very unfavorable to unification, but it is extremely beneficial to outsiders to form an independent regime.
third place: Emperor Wu of Han
Emperor Wu of Han mainly contributed to the formation of a great unification of China:
, abolishing all schools of thought and respecting Confucianism
, abolishing all schools of thought and respecting Confucianism
, modern people think that there are some dregs in Confucianism . Confucianism is the dominant one, which is a shackle for the prosperity and development of national thought. However, in Han Dynasty , "abdicating all schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" has positive and far-reaching significance for strengthening centralization and forming the idea of "great unification".
In 134 BC, Confucian scholar Dong Zhongshu proposed to Emperor Wu of Han that the orthodox status of Confucianism was " Spring and Autumn Unification ", "Abolishing all schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone", and " The power of the monarch is God-given ", which was approved by Emperor Wu of Han, and the orthodox status of Confucianism was established.
Since Historical , respect for Confucianism has become an indispensable part of feudal rule. Confucianism has continuously enhanced the people's sense of identity with national unity, and the cohesion of the nation is also constantly strengthening. Many beautiful qualities such as "loyalty", "benevolence", and "righteousness" have also become part of the excellent morality of the Chinese nation, constantly shaping the Chinese nation.
The supremacy of Confucianism has indeed played a role in unifying thoughts, unifying public opinion, and stabilizing society in the process of dominating the country.
, control Hexi Corridor
The previous article mentioned the important role of the Hexi Corridor, and the Hexi Corridor was first placed under the control of the Central Plains dynasty during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.
In the early Western Han Dynasty, the Hexi Corridor was the core area controlled by the Huns. Zhang Qian first went on a mission to the Western Regions. It was here that he was intercepted by Xiongnu and placed under house arrest for 10 years.
In 121 BC, General Huo Qubing fought twice in the Hexi Corridor. The first time he fought with the Huns at the foot of Gaolan Mountain, annihilated 10,000 enemies and killed King Luhou of the Xiongnu and King Zhelan of the Xiongnu. The second time Huo Qubing fought fiercely with the Huns at the foot of the Qilian Mountains, annihilated 30,000 enemies and captured 25 people of the Xiongnu King, Hunxie King and King Xiutu of the Xiongnu led their troops to surrender. After the war, Emperor Wu of Han set up four counties here, Wuwei , Jiuquan , Zhangye , and Dunhuang. The Hexi Corridor became the territory of the Han Dynasty for the first time.
Since then, the Hexi Corridor has been the northwest end of the China Unified Dynasty. The Han, Tang, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties all controlled the Hexi Corridor. The Hexi Corridor was not only an important international channel for the ancient Chinese Han area to conduct political, economic and cultural exchanges with the Western world, but also a frontier position and barrier for the Central Plains dynasty to resist foreign enemies in the west and southwest.
. Establish national confidence
Since ancient times, people's evaluation of the Han Dynasty is that "those who violate the strong Han Dynasty in a bright way will be punished even if they are far away"; it is "the sun and the moon shine, and the rivers reach all the Han territory." The strength of the Han Dynasty gave us the unprecedented dignity and confidence to stand firm for thousands of years, and its country name has become our eternal name.
And all this started with Emperor Wu of Han.
The regime with strong military and cultural strength has obvious attraction and assimilation to weak civilizations. The prosperity of Emperor Wu of Han greatly cultivated a sense of national identity, abolished all schools of thought, respected Confucianism alone and cultivated cultural identity. From then on, the traditional Han area of Han nationality was difficult to separate.
4. Ran Min
Ran Min's role is single, but it plays a crucial role in the "great unification" of the Chinese nation.
After the rebellion of the Eight Kings , the Jin Dynasty's army was divided, the national strength was empty, and the military power of the Jin Dynasty declined rapidly. For more than a hundred years, the northern part of Xianbei , Xiongnu, Jie tribe , Dihu, and Qiang have successively arrived in the Central Plains, and the north of our country has become a hunting ground for the Hu people.
According to " Jin Shu ", the Chinese during the Five Barbarians invaded China during the period was "the north was desolate, with clothes moving south, and Hu Di everywhere, and the children of the Han family were almost slaughtered!" and "The Central Plains gentry, one ten is not left!" The population of the Han people in the north dropped sharply from the original 12 million to only 4 million, less than one-third of the original. In contrast, the number of Hu people in the north increased to more than 6 million, and the number of Hu people migrated exceeded that of Han people. The continuation of the Han people in the north is in danger.
At the critical moment of national survival, Ran Min stood up to turn the tide. After Ran Wei was established, Ran Min ordered the killing of Jie, saying that "the six internal and external barbarians, those who dare to claim to be weapons will be killed."
During this period, Ran Min issued a proclamation to inspire the hearts of the Han people. The two most famous sentences are: "Who is the world in today's realm?", "The Central Plains is in danger! The Han Dynasty is in danger! China is in danger!"
Although Ran Min established the Ran Wei regime for only three years, the "Destruction of Hu" he issued gave the Han people in the Central Plains a greater living space, and also made the Hu people feel fear of the Han people. According to statistics, after Ran Min established the Ran Wei regime, he killed about 200,000 Hu people, and the Jie people were almost massacred.
The Five Barbarians invaded China can be said to be one of the most dangerous moments for the Chinese nation. Without Ran Min, the Han people in the north might no longer exist, and the Great Wall barrier would be useless. At that time, it would not be the Hu people who integrated into the Han people, but the Han people were completely assimilated by the Hu people. China's future "unification" may only be limited to southern provinces.
5. Yang Jian
Although the Sui Dynasty was short-lived, its role cannot be ignored. After the Han Dynasty, the three kingdoms were first divided, and then after more than 150 years of chaos between the two Jin Dynasties, the idea of unification formed by the strong Han has been extremely weakened. If there was no Emperor Wen of Sui , the unification of the Sui dynasty was like Taiwan, it would be difficult to take it back after the division for a long time.
In addition to this, Yang Jian also made a great contribution, which is the first creation of the imperial examination system.
The imperial examination system is different from the examination system and the -rank Zhongzheng system. It is not based on family background and openly recruits to the public, providing every scholar with equal opportunities for competition. Before the imperial examination system, the selection of talents was in the hands of the nobles, and they were recommended or hereditary. Such talents were all recommended or family loyal to him. After the imperial examination system, many people from poor backgrounds could also become members of the bureaucratic system, allowing the central government to recruit and win over intellectuals to the greatest extent and concentrate the power of selecting talents in their own hands, which undoubtedly greatly strengthened the centralization.
After that, after the strengthening of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination system gradually became a custom. The Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties inherited each other and was implemented in Chinese history for 1,300 years, which had a positive and significant impact on consolidation and unification.
