Chinese_and_Western_Civilizations

The Resilience of China: The
Footprints of a Super-large
Civilization
Li Yonggang
New World Press
January 2022
128.00 (CNY)
Chinese and Western Civilizations: Concentric Circles and Jigsaw
Qin and Han empires were equally impressive. The long-term division during the Warring States Period was put to an end. In addition, the western regions and Central Asia were explored and connected. The famous Silk Road, due to
the existence of these two great empires, had its starting and end points established.
More than 1,600 years ago:
The two empires reached turning points. As the world entered the Little Ice Age, northern nomads, having no way out, continued to move south. At nearly the same time, both China and the Roman Empire were attacked from
the north. The Western Roman Empire, which survived after
the split of the Roman Empire, broke up, leaving Europe with many small kingdoms built by barbarians. These kingdoms constantly attacked each other, leaving little chance for Europe’s reunification. Even mighty figures like Charlemagne (in the middle-ages) and Napoleon (in modern times) could only temporarily integrate local areas that were soon overthrown by regional resistance forces. In contrast, China, which had experienced nearly 400 years of division, and with ethnic minorities successively going south to establish their
own countries, achieved great national integration and laid the foundation for reunification. The Sui and T ang empires, after ending the division, not only inherited the ruling systems of the Qin and Han dynasties, but also expanded their reign: Even the emperors themselves had the blood of ethnic minorities. During the Song Dynasty, although Liao and Jin established countries separately,
they all advocated for the Chinese
political and religious systems.
After the Song Dynasty, there was
no longer a long-term, large split
in China.
Today, the situation is as follows:
As the stronghold of Western
civilization, Europe has managed
to establish the European Union
after many hardships. However,
the United Kingdom has staged
the protracted “Brexit” drama,
which has finally materialized.
China has achieved modern
transformation as an integrated
country. Sitting at the east of
the world, China has the world’s
largest population united in a
single country.
The famous historian, Toynbee,
said:
On the whole, the history of the
Chinese Empire, which still survives
in the form of the present People’s
Republic, has been a political success
story. It contrasts dramatically with
the history of the Roman Empire,
which tried and failed to give lasting
political unity and peace to the West.
2. The West: Oceans and Centrifugal
Force
The most time-honored
stronghold of Western civilization
is Europe. Europe is surrounded
by peninsulas and islands. Large
islands include Scandinavia in
the north, the British Isles in the
northwest, the Iberian Peninsula
in the southwest, the Apennines
in the south, and the Balkans in
the southeast. Peninsulas and
islands mean “centrifugal force.”
The reason is not complicated:
Inconvenient transportation. As
peninsulas are surrounded by
water on three sides, they are
connected to the main continent
by only one narrow path, and
there may even be mountains
between the peninsula and
continent. For example, the
Iberian Peninsula, where Spain
and Portugal are located, is
separated from the main continent
by the Pyrenees Mountains. At
the northern Apennine Peninsula,
where Italy is located, stands
the towering Alps. An island
is surrounded by water on all
sides. Considering the barriers
of mountains and seas, the
inconvenience of transportation is
not difficult to imagine.
Statistics show that peninsulas
and islands account for one-
third of the total area of Europe.
Over time, the dominance of the
European political and economic
power center was weakened. In
contrast, China’s peninsulas and
islands only account for 1.6% of its
territory.
Due to these geographic factors,
Europe’s centrifugal force was
inevitable. In addition, it was
further strengthened by climatic
factors.
The equatorial region is exposed
to direct sunlight year-round,
and water vapor from the
surrounding seas evaporates
particularly rapidly. When the
vapor evaporates into the air, a
powerful air current is formed.
Under the force of the earth’s
rotation, airflow will be deflected
to the right in the northern
hemisphere and to the left in the
southern hemisphere. Therefore,
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on the sea surface in the northern hemisphere, a strong air current flows above the equatorial area from southeast to northwest, which is called a “severe tropical cyclone” in meteorology.
When a strong tropical cyclone from the Pacific Ocean hits the southeast coast of China, it forms what is known as a “typhoon.”
The severe tropical cyclones from the Atlantic Ocean that hit the southeast coast of the United States are called “hurricanes.”
In early ancient times, when backward navigational technology faced turbulent waves brought
by typhoons, it was difficult for people along the coast of China
to go to sea on a large scale, so they fished only at intervals. Typhoons come every year, so it
is difficult for marine civilization to gain effective accumulation in this area. In contrast, seas around Europe are much calmer. Severe tropical cyclones originating in the Atlantic Ocean generally hit the southeastern coast of North America: These are less likely to turn and hit Europe. For severe tropical cyclones originating in the Pacific or Indian Ocean, even if they do cross the vast Eurasian continent to reach Europe, they will be very weak. Therefore,
it is much easier for Europe to gain a highly developed marine civilization. The Mediterranean Sea, which is comparatively calm, can even be regarded as a vast “inner lake” of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The large and small peninsulas and islands surrounding Europe facilitated formation of centrifugal force. Meteorological conditions helped form a highly developed marine civilization in these peninsulas and islands. This
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