Original title: Kyushu's coherent and pluralistic unity tradition
At the symposium on cultural inheritance and development, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that there are many important elements of China's excellent traditional culture, which together shape the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization. The outstanding unity of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines the integration of the cultures of all ethnic groups of the Chinese nation, and the firm cohesion even in the face of major setbacks, the common belief that the land is indivisible, the country cannot be chaotic, the nation cannot be dispersed, and the civilization is unbreakable, and that national reunification will always be the core of China's core interests, and that a strong and unified country is the destiny of the people of all ethnic groups.
Reunification has always been the mainstream of history
"Kyushu coherence" comes from "Hanshu Wang Ji Biography": "Spring and Autumn" is so unified, six contract styles, and Kyushu is coherent. Wang Ji of the Western Han Dynasty proposed when playing to Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty that the reason why the "Spring and Autumn Period" advocated the great unification of the Zhou Dynasty was because the Zhou Dynasty promoted a unified education throughout the country on the premise of respecting different customs and habits in various places, so that the government decrees were unified and the people had common values, so as to achieve the grand occasion that the common weathering spread all over the world and the people of all ethnic groups in the world were harmonious as a family.
"Diversity and unity" originates from the theory of Chinese archaeological practice, emphasizing the inclusiveness and integration of cultures. "Diversity" refers to the fact that the origins and development histories of various ethnic groups are different, and their national cultures and religious beliefs also have their own characteristics; "unity" refers to the deepening of emotional ties and ideological collisions and resonances among various ethnic groups in the course of exchanges and exchanges, and they all follow the moral values of filial piety and loyalty, courtesy, righteousness, honesty, benevolence, and peace, and blend and converge into a pluralistic and integrated Chinese nation.
The term "great unification" was first seen in the "Legend of the Ram in the Spring and Autumn Period": "What is the first year of the first year? What is the beginning of the spring? Who is the king? The king of the prophet and the king of the first month of the first month. What can be said about Wang Zhengyue? During the Qin and Han dynasties, "great unification" became the mainstream in the field of political thought. Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty implemented the "deposition of the hundred schools of thought and the six classics of the seals", all periods of later generations have attached great importance to the integration and unity of thought. No matter which ethnic group establishes political power, it takes the unification of the world as its own responsibility and regards itself as the orthodoxy of Chinese culture. This thinking has not only maintained political stability, but also formed a unified value system. Throughout the history of the development of the Chinese nation, reunification has always been the mainstream, although there have been divisions of different durations.
The basis of the cosmology of the Great Unification Tradition
Tracing back to the origin, the tradition of coherent and pluralistic unity in Kyushu comes from the cosmology of the ancients of "the unity of heaven and man". This state of "unity between heaven and man" is the state attained by enlightened saints. As people who have attained the Tao, they are well versed in the truth that "heaven and earth are born together with me, and all things are one with me", uphold the values of "taking heaven and earth and all things as one", and act in accordance with the cosmology of "Tao" that is "one". Confucius used the word "benevolence" to summarize the moral characteristics of people who have attained the Tao. Mr. Wang Yangming also believes that the enlightened people have the "benevolence of oneness" that "takes heaven and earth and all things as one". Under the influence of this concept of "oneness", in traditional Chinese society, the relationship between father and son, husband and wife, king and minister, brother and brother, and even friends, country, ethnicity, and religion is harmonious and integrated. Only "oneness" can be "peaceful", so the one-man way of thinking can help resolve conflicts and promote peace. This way of thinking of unity and harmony is the key to understanding the unity of Chinese civilization.
Under the concept of "the unity of heaven and man" of the ancients, the ideal of "the road is also the world", was born. The "Journey of the Great Road" refers to the time of the Five Emperors. Yao Shun is to adopt the Zen concession system, Yao to the throne Zen to Shun, Shun to the throne Zen to Yu. Yao Shun can even push the world, which is a real manifestation of selflessness. "Public" and "private" are opposite, and "common" should also be said, Yao Shun can give up the world and treat the world as shared by all people in the world. At that time, Emperor Yao's son Danzhu and Shun's son Shang Jun were not enough to govern the world. Yao Shun has the virtue of a saint, and he is in the position of the Son of Heaven, and does not regard the world as a private family, but regards the world as a public. Whoever has the ability and morality, Yao and Shun will hand over the world to whoever governs. In the "road of the road, the world is for the public", the real Taoist holy king, with all things in the world as one, public and selfless. It is precisely because of this that we can realize a harmonious society.
It can be seen that the realization of the Datong society is the governance realm realized by the ancient sages and kings in accordance with the cosmology of "oneness" of the Heavenly Dao. This cosmology of "the unity of man and nature" is the foundation of Kyushu's tradition of coherence and unity. As a "person who has attained the Tao", the sage understands the principle of "taking heaven and earth as one", conforms to the law of the operation of heaven and earth, and is in harmony with heaven and earth, so he can govern the world according to the cosmology of the unity of heaven and man, and naturally can achieve the world for the public, practice the benevolence of one, cultivate the broad vision and broad-mindedness of "concord and all nations", form the cultural tradition of world harmony and the world, form a "pattern of pluralism and unity of the Chinese nation" internally, and form a world situation of "harmony and harmony among all nations" externally.
The embodiment of the tradition of great unification
Historically, the tradition of the great unification of Kyushu has been embodied in political unity, ideological unity, national unity, and cultural unity.
Political reunification is a powerful guarantee for maintaining the unification of major countries. The so-called political unification means supporting the royal power of the Son of Heaven and safeguarding national unity. Ram scholars take history as a mirror and point out that if the Son of Heaven is not respected, the etiquette will collapse and the society will fall into great chaos, and the situation of "great unification" will fall apart. In order to maintain the order of "great unification", the "Spring and Autumn Period" emphasizes that the "king" should "be precious and subtle", have a sincere and respectful heart, see the subtle things, be cautious to the end, cultivate virtue, and widely practice benevolent government.
Ideological unification is the key to enhancing the cohesion and centripetal force of the whole nation. Historically, the idea of "great unification" took scripture as the core, integrated the strengths of a hundred schools of thought, and became the mainstream ideology in the long historical process, and became a consensus among all ethnic groups in China. Dong Zhongshu unified the thinking of the whole country with the scriptures and established the fundamental idea of taking the principles of Confucianism as orthodoxy. Ideological unification is conducive to enhancing national cohesion, standardizing the direction of historical and cultural development to a certain extent, and highlighting the characteristics of the national spirit.
Cultural unification is the glue that binds political unification and is also a catalyst for national integration. Confucianism takes the way of heaven as the body, the insight of all things and the parallel cultivation of all things, so it takes inclusiveness as the development concept. All cultures have their own strengths, but their ultimate goal is the same, that is, to jointly follow the values and morals of filial piety, loyalty, courtesy, righteousness, honesty, benevolence, and peace, and to achieve stability and beauty in human society. The Ming monarchs of the previous dynasties often used Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism to educate the people, forming a unified ideological value system throughout the country, and its influence was rooted in the cultural genes of the Chinese nation, so that China has always maintained a unified power situation in history. This spirit has always been the value root of Chinese culture and the governance orientation of the country.
The unification of the nation is reflected in the Chinese culture's emphasis on "the king has no outside" and "the unity of Yixia", and the pursuit of common progress of all ethnic groups in the practice of unification with the great integration of nationalities as a harmonious form. In the long process of historical development, the Han nationality and the ethnic minorities have absorbed and integrated each other, forming a multi-ethnic unified situation of "you have me, I have you". As recorded in the "Book of Rites: The Imperial System", "the people of the five directions of Rongyi in China all have sex and cannot be changed", so it is necessary to recognize their differences in national customs and culture, so that "it is not easy to cultivate their religion and customs, and it is not easy to be suitable for Qi Qi's government".
Forge the sense of community of the Chinese nation
The tradition of coherent and pluralistic unity in Kyushu has laid a lasting and stable ideological foundation for the sense of community of the Chinese nation. From "Huayi's discrimination" to "one family from all over the world", Huayi's idea of the same origin has broken through the narrow consciousness of the nation and connected the blood ties of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups from the spiritual level. After thousands of years of precipitation, the Chinese nation has integrated the wisdom of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and developed into a united national spirit, which has become the emotional bond and spiritual pillar of the continuous development of all ethnic groups. With Confucianism as the core, the traditional Chinese idea of "great unification" advocates benevolence and love for the world and "one family from all over the world", so that the people of all ethnic groups can achieve ideological unity, and filial piety and loyalty, courtesy, righteousness, honesty, benevolence, and peace have become enduring mainstream values. Under the widespread spread and far-reaching influence of Confucianism, the regimes established by ethnic minorities such as the Western Xia, Liao, Jin, Yuan, and Qing dynasties all respected Confucianism. As a concept, the idea of "great unification" has had a lasting and profound impact on the way of thinking and values of the Chinese nation, and is not only pursued by the Han nationality, but also deeply rooted among all ethnic minorities.
The tradition of coherent and pluralistic unity in Kyushu has laid a cultural foundation for the sense of community of the Chinese nation, made the concept of unity deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and maintained the unity and unity of the Chinese nation. Under the influence of the tradition of great unification, the Chinese nation has continuously tolerate, absorbed and respected the cultures of various ethnic groups with the concept of "harmony and diversity", and this cultural characteristic has made the Chinese culture develop and expand like a "snowball", and has become a solid foundation for the maintenance and construction of the Chinese national community. "Harmony" is the law that all things grow and reproduce according to, and this is the principle to realize the harmony of heaven and earth, the harmony of all people, and the harmony of heaven and man. The cultural concept of "harmony" has consistently influenced and standardized the traditional political practices of past dynasties, and has continuously consolidated and expanded the political pattern of the Chinese nation's pluralism and integration. All nationalities have developed together through exchanges and mutual learning, the concept of "great unification" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the feelings of "one family under heaven" and the great national righteousness have been soaked in the blood of the Chinese, condensing into a sense of community of the Chinese nation that cannot be broken by any force.
In short, the tradition of coherent and pluralistic integration of Kyushu has overseen the cohesion of the Chinese nation and the formation, development and strengthening of the spirit of the Chinese nation, and has created brilliant achievements. In the face of great changes unseen in a century, the Chinese nation must face up to the realistic foundation shaped by history, rely on its inherent prescriptiveness, and explore a path of modernization that can effectively maintain the unity of politics, territory, culture, and people's hearts.
[Liu Yuli and Cheng Lijun, the authors are professors of the Party School of the Central Committee (National Academy of Administration) and lecturers of Henan Normal University]
Source: Popular Daily