Introduction:
It is an absolute miracle that Chinese civilization has been able to last for thousands of years without interruption. Looking back on the history of the development of Chinese civilization, there are many important events that have changed the direction of history, and the impact of each event is crucial, some have even affected the fate of the nation, and some have played a role in the development of Chinese civilization for thousands of years. If you had to pick the ten most influential events, apart from the founding ceremony in 1949, how would you choose the remaining nine?
Eighth, the Xinhai Revolution. The Xinhai Revolution revolutionized the life of the Qing Dynasty and the feudal system, he overthrew the emperor's throne and helped the common people break through the cage of feudal ideology. This revolution was not only an overthrow in action, but also a criticism and condemnation of the concept of divine authority and the idea of imperial power. The Xinhai Revolution promoted the study of Xi and the dissemination of democratic ideas and natural sciences among the people. Lenin saw the Xinhai Revolution as the awakening of Asia, and the idea of a democratic republic spread from then on, and the people's pursuit of revolution never stopped.
Seventh, the Opium War. As the beginning of modern Chinese history, the defeat of the Opium War and the series of unequal treaties that followed it completely changed Chinese society. China's territorial integrity and sovereign status were undermined, and its political independence began to be lost. However, we must take a broader view of the impact of the Opium War on China.
From the perspective of China's 5,000-year civilization history, due to the influence of geographical natural closure, the land of China has been relatively less affected by other commercial civilizations. However, as we ushered in the 3,000-year-long upheaval, the Opium War broke out against this backdrop. It can be said that the collision of Eastern and Western civilizations is inevitable, so the outbreak of the Opium War is also inevitable.
The Opium War made the Chinese realize that the world is not a round place, the Qing Dynasty is not the center of the world, Chinese civilization is not the only civilized country, not all other countries are barbarian barbarians, and China is only one of many countries in the world, not the master who rules the world. The Emperor of China was not a global monarch, and other countries were not vassal states of China. Without such an external shock force, it would be difficult to get out of the feudal system by relying on internal forces alone. Of course, the humiliation of modern times has caused great suffering to the people of the time, but in the long run, it is also an opportunity for us to modernize, but only if we can rise from this disaster.
Sixth, Shi Jingjiao ceded the sixteen states of Yanyun. Shi Jingjiao rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and was trapped in Taiyuan, forced to ask the Khitan for help, and promised to cede the sixteen states of Yanyun in exchange for Khitan assistance. Eventually, with the help of the Khitan, he destroyed the Later Tang Dynasty and established the Later Jin Dynasty, claiming that the emperor fulfilled his promise to cede the sixteen states of Yanyun to the Khitan. This region is located in the north and has been a natural barrier to the mainland since ancient times. Shi Jingjiao's actions led to the complete exposure of the Central Plains to the Khitan threat, causing serious social and economic damage to the north for 500 years. From the Later Jin Dynasty onwards, various dynasties made it their mission to recover the sixteen states of Yanyun in an attempt to reunify the country. The Northern Song dynasty was most likely to become a powerful and unified dynasty, but because it was unable to recover the sixteen states of Yanyun, it had to submit to the rule of the nomads in the north, despite its economic prosperity. Not to mention the Southern Song Dynasty, it was not until Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty that he finally recaptured the sixteen states of Yanyun. It can be said that Shi Jingjiao's behavior caused the Chinese nation to endure the humiliation of foreign races for more than 500 years.
Fifth, the Anshi Rebellion. Although the mainland has gone through thousands of years of history and countless events, large and small, the Anshi Rebellion is undoubtedly one of the wars that can most affect the Chinese nation for thousands of years. In addition to bringing a turning point in the decline of the Tang Dynasty, this war also profoundly affected the development trajectory of the Chinese nation. The Anshi Rebellion led to the dominance of the five people in power, and the envoys of each section held the military power, and the court could not effectively dispatch, which laid a hidden danger for the fall of the Tang Dynasty. The An Lushan Rebellion taught the dynasties a profound lesson, leading them to pursue too much of the smooth process of rule.
Since the Song Dynasty, in order to ensure the smooth governance of future emperors, the founding emperor began to massacre the founding heroes. However, the long history has proved that in order to achieve good development, the Chinese nation must maintain equal emphasis on civil and military affairs, just like the two arms of the human body, and only by attaching equal importance to the two can it exert great strength. Before the Anshi Rebellion, from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Tang Dynasty, Chinese civilization had always been vigorous, open and inclusive. However, after the Anshi Rebellion, from the middle and late Tang Dynasty to the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, they gradually became introverted, suspicious, and weak in worship. Therefore, the impact of the Anshi Rebellion has been affected by the Chinese nation for thousands of years.
Fourth, the imperial examination system. After Emperor Wen of Sui established the Great Sui, he created the imperial examination system, which provided opportunities for ordinary people to be promoted and improved the fairness of feudal society to a certain extent. Prior to this, the gentry clan dominated the population and education, and even if the emperor was meritocracy, it was difficult to select talents other than the noble gatekeepers, because the children of poor families could not receive adequate education and training. However, through the continuous improvement of the Sui and early Tang dynasties, the imperial examination became the most important system for electing officials in China, and the children of the poor gradually gained the opportunity to receive education and enter the government.
This has indisputable advantages in mobilizing people's positive factors and recruiting talents extensively, and even today there are people who believe that reading can change their lives. The imperial examination system can also promote the flow of talents, alleviate the contradictions between the bottom and the upper class, and lay the foundation for the stability of the great unified dynasty. The long reigns of the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties were almost inseparable from the stable role of the imperial examination system. The imperial examination system not only plays a role in selecting meritocracy in the selection of officials, but also plays a role in educating the people, such as the eight-share system established by Ming Taizu. In order to leap over the Dragon Gate, the prince devoted his whole life to the study and Xi of Baguwen, which consolidated the stability of the imperial rule to a certain extent.
Third, the Sui Dynasty unified the world. The rebellion of the Eight Kings of the Jin Dynasty led to the Sima family weakening itself, the treasury was empty, the people were poor, and the army was insufficient. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Hu people (mainly the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jieqiang and Di) raised troops to invade the Central Plains, resulting in chaos in the Central Plains, and there were five regimes in one Liangzhou, with constant wars and displacements of the people. This chaos has lasted for nearly 200 years.
In 577 AD, the Northern Zhou destroyed the Northern Qi Dynasty and became the only regime that had a chance to end the division of the powers. In 589 AD, the Sui Dynasty destroyed Chen, ending centuries-long divisions in Chinese history and achieving the third unification in Chinese history. From the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty, the 16 Kingdoms, the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the reunification of the Central Plains by Emperor Wen of Sui, this period of division lasted for more than 370 years, coupled with the fragmentation of the Eastern Han Dynasty at the end of the year, the actual division time was about 400 years. The Unification War launched by Emperor Wen of Sui ended this division and reunited the Chinese nation. Without the unification of the Sui Dynasty, we may return to the Warring States period, which is not clear.
Second, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty attacked the Xiongnu in the north. Recently, it has been claimed that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was entangled in fighting the Xiongnu all his life, which not only wasted the country's resources, but also brought a huge burden to the common people. But I think this statement makes people laugh and cry, because the six Han emperors before that did not really face the threat posed by the Xiongnu. However, in the age of cold weapons, the cavalry of the northern nomads had a natural advantage since ancient times. The rulers of the Han Dynasty for six successive generations could only respond to the invasion of the Xiongnu through conservative defensive strategies, on the one hand, they made peace with the Xiongnu, and on the other hand, they were subjected to their untrustworthy southward invasion. Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made a wise decision, solved the Xiongnu problem once and for all by reusing the arms of the empire, created a stable space for development for future generations, expanded the field of survival of the Chinese nation, changed the offensive and defensive situation, and allowed the Chinese nation to regain its self-confidence in the face of foreign races. I feel very identified with this period of the Han Dynasty, and their greatness cannot be overlooked.
First, Qin unified the Six Kingdoms. Without Qin Shi Huang's establishment of a unified pattern, the Chinese nation might have been divided into small states, like the countries of Europe, each doing its own thing, fighting each other, unable to unite and defend against the enemy. Worse still, we will not be able to achieve independence and self-determination, and can only become a vassal of one hegemonic power after another, with no right to speak. However, the Chinese nation is different, and even in the case of alternating dynasties and constant disputes, we have always called it China. This is the influence of Qin Shi Huang's idea of establishing great unification on later generations.
Finally, I would like to leave you to think about what do you think was the event that had the greatest impact on Chinese history?