Grand Unity

The term "grand unity" comes from the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, where the word "grand" was originally used to highlight the importance of "respecting" unity. The term was used to emphasize the need to uphold the authority of the monarch in order to safeguard stability and the political order, and the need for the ruler to refrain from acting recklessly and respect the natural laws to secure the legitimacy of his rule. The term also emphasized that all Chinese territories must fall under the jurisdiction of a unified central government.

The concept of "grand unity" built on the governance theories and political goals of feudal rulers, and informed ancient China's political philosophy and culture. This idea guided the development of the Chinese nation towards a unified multi-eth- nic community. Qinshihuang (259-210 B.C.), the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.), unified China into a centralized state divided into commanderies and counties, a move that prepared the ground for ancient China's basic political structure, placing China on track to become a unified multi-eth- nic state. From that point on every ruler of the Central Plains, regardless of their ethnic origin, took on the responsibility of protecting the unity of the entire country and claimed to be the true guardian of the Chinese traditions and culture. This continuity helped cement the concept of "grand unity" in the national psyche. The way the Han (206 B.C. - A.D. 220), Tang (618-907), Yuan (1206-1368), Ming (1368-1644), and Qing (1616-1911) dynasties ruled typically reflects the idea of "grand unity". History has repeatedly shown that "grand unity" begets prosperity, peace, stability, and happiness.

"Grand unity" emphasized territorial unity, respect for the authority of the central government, and cultural cohesion. Ancient China did go through multiple periods of division, but they always culminated in reunification, mainly thanks to the role the concept of grand unity played in shaping the Chinese identity built into the Chinese people's historical and cultural consciousness. The long-standing tradition of grand unity gave the central government strong planning and coordination capabilities to optimize the allocation of personnel, resources, and materials across the vast territory, gradually making China a super large and inclusive community that embraced diversity and enjoyed stability.

大一統(tǒng)

“大一統(tǒng)”出自《春秋公羊傳》?！按蟆痹浮白鸪纭??！按笠唤y(tǒng)”原意強調(diào)王者的權(quán)威，進而形成維護政治秩序穩(wěn)定的向心力，同時，王者并不能恣意妄為，必須遵循天道的約束，才能獲得統(tǒng)治的合法性。此外，“大一統(tǒng)”還強調(diào)中國的疆域版圖范圍須納入統(tǒng)一的中央政府管轄之下。

“大一統(tǒng)”思想闡發(fā)了封建統(tǒng)治者的治理理念和政治追求，成為貫穿中國古代政治格局和思想文化的一條主線，深刻影響了中華民族共同體發(fā)展路向和中華民族多元一體演進格局。秦始皇（前259—前210）建立了第一個郡縣制的大一統(tǒng)國家，奠定了中國古代政治的基本架構(gòu)，開啟了中國統(tǒng)一的多民族國家發(fā)展歷程。此后，無論哪個民族入主中原， 都以統(tǒng)一天下為己任，以中華文化的正統(tǒng)自居，深化了六合同風(fēng)、四海一家的大一統(tǒng)傳統(tǒng)。漢、唐、元、明、清是比較

典型的大一統(tǒng)王朝。歷史多次證明，只要中國維持“大一統(tǒng)”的局面，國家就能夠強盛、安寧、穩(wěn)定，人民就會幸福安康。大一統(tǒng)傳統(tǒng)追求疆域領(lǐng)土的統(tǒng)一，推崇中央政府的權(quán)威，注重文化共識的凝聚。古代中國盡管經(jīng)歷多次分裂，但總能重新統(tǒng)一，主要原因就在于大一統(tǒng)觀念塑造了中國人對 “中國”的歷史文化認同。漫長的大一統(tǒng)傳統(tǒng)鍛造出中央政府在各個地區(qū)間強有力的統(tǒng)籌協(xié)調(diào)能力，能夠在廣袤疆域內(nèi) 對各種人財物資源進行最大限度的優(yōu)化配置，推動中國逐漸 成為一個兼具多樣性、包容性、穩(wěn)定性的超大規(guī)模共同體。