Pax Sinica
Pax Sinica (Latin for "Chinese peace"; simplified Chinese: 中华治世; traditional Chinese: 中華治世; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Zhìshì) is a historiographical term referring to periods of peace and stability in East Asia,[1] Northeast Asia,[2] Southeast Asia,[1] and Central Asia[3] led by China. A study on the Sinocentric world system reveals that the multiple periods of Pax Sinica, when taken together, amounted to a length of approximately two thousand years.[4]
The first Pax Sinica of the Eastern world emerged during the rule of the Han dynasty and coincided with the Pax Romana of the Western world led by the Roman Empire.[5][6] It stimulated long-distance travel and trade in Eurasian history.[6] Both the first Pax Sinica and the Pax Romana eroded at circa AD 200.[6]
Periods of historical Pax Sinica
Han dynasty
The first period of Pax Sinica came into being during the Han dynasty of China.[7] Domestically, the power of the emperor was consolidated following the devastation of the feudal system.[8] The Rule of Wen and Jing (文景之治) and the Rule of Ming and Zhang (明章之治) were periods of societal stability and economic prosperity. Externally, the Han dynasty neutralized the threat posed by the nomadic Xiongnu following a series of wars.[9] The boundaries of China were extended into what is modern-day western Xinjiang, South Korea (near modern Seoul), and Vietnam (around modern Huế).[10] The Silk Road emerged as a major route that connected the East and the West after the Han diplomat Zhang Qian established contact with the numerous Central Asian tribes and states, thus facilitating commerce and cultural exchanges.[11]
The Pax Sinica established by the Han dynasty is often compared to the Pax Romana of the Roman Empire.[7][12] The Pax Sinica of the Han dynasty ended following decades of internal turmoil that later led to the downfall of the Han dynasty and a period of fragmentation in Chinese history.
Tang dynasty
The
Yuan dynasty
The
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty of China presided over another period of Pax Sinica.[21] This period saw the formal institutionalization of the Chinese tributary system, illustrating the great political power of China at the time.[22] The seven maritime expeditions led by Zheng He projected the imperial power of the Ming dynasty across Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa.[23] During this period, China also exerted a great amount of influence on the culture and politics of Korea.[24][25]
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty of China heralded another period of Pax Sinica.[26] At its peak, it ruled over the fourth largest empire territorially, constituting 9.87 per cent of the world's total land area.[27] The High Qing era was a period of sustained peace, economic prosperity and territorial expansion.[28] The multicultural and multiethnic nature of the Qing dynasty was fundamental to the subsequent formation of the modern nationalist concept of Zhonghua minzu. As the rulers of the Qing dynasty were ethnic Manchu, this period of peace is also sometimes known as "Pax Manjurica".[29][30][31]
See also
- List of periods of regional peace
- Pax Romana; Sino-Roman relations; Comparative studies of the Roman and Han empires
- Silk Road & Maritime Silk Road; Belt and Road Initiative
- Golden ages of China; Chinese Century
- Constitution of the People's Republic of China
- Tianxia Datong ("Great Unity All Under Heaven")
- Celestial Empire; Sinocentrism; Tributary system of China
- East Asian cultural sphere
- China and the United Nations; Military operations other than war (China); Chinese foreign aid
References
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- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-93735-1.
- ^ ISBN 9780374711030.
- ^ Grousset, René (1964). The Rise and Splendour of the Chinese Empire. p. 55.
- ISBN 9789839541885.
- ^ Grousset (1964). p. 60.
- ^ Grousset (1964). p. 85.
- ISBN 9781317516880.
- ^ ISBN 9781586486280.
- ISBN 9781595588456.
- ISBN 9781136310478.
- ISBN 9780824070595.
- ^ ISBN 9789811388675.
- ISBN 9780521016865.
- ^ Embree, Ainslie; Gluck, Carol (1997). Asia in Western and World History: A Guide for Teaching. M.E. Sharpe. p. 352.
Japan culture tang dynasty.
- ISBN 9781433102752.
- ISBN 9780820335889.
- ISBN 9789004253537.
- ISBN 9788132221388.
- ^ Lee, Soyoung; Kim, JaHyun; Hong, Sunpyo; Chang, Chin-Sung (2009). Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400-1600. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 62.
ming dynasty korean culture.
- ISBN 9789811335587.
- ISBN 9780824823283.
- ISBN 9781408895870.
- ISBN 9780521640459.
- ISBN 9781317907787.
- ^ Horner (2010). p. 54.
- ^ Smolnikov (2018). p. 141.
Further reading
- KIM, S.S, China's Pacific Policy: Reconciling the Irreconcilable, International Journal, 1994.
- Kueh, Y.Y. (2012). Pax Sinica: Geopolitics and Economics of China's Ascendance
- TERMINSKI, Bogumil, (2010), The Evolution of the Concept of Perpetual Peace in the History of Political-Legal Thought, Perspectivas Internacionales, vol. 10: 277–291.
- YEOH, Kok Kheng, (2009), Towards Pax Sinica?: China's rise and transformation : impacts and implications, University of Malaya.
- ZHANG, Yongjin, (2001), System, empire and state in Chinese international relations, Review of International Studies, vol. 27: 43–63.