The genesis and evolution of the Chinese “Great Unity” ideology

Abstract The concept of “Great Unity” originates from China’s “Great Unity” political practice, which is primarily embodied in the “great unity” state form and structure. Therefore, to examine the genesis and evolution of the Chinese “Great Unity” ideology, we must begin with the historical evolution of the form and structure of ancient Chinese states. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the “Great Unity” ideology was built upon the state form and structure of the commandery-county system. After Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, successive dynasties regarded unification as the highest political achievement. Even during periods of division, the ideology of unity persisted, with contending regimes often claiming legitimacy and pursuing unification as their ultimate goal. Tracing back from the Qin and Han to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, an era of social transformation, the “Great Unity” ideology encompassed both ideals of unity and the historical foundation of the composite dynastic state structure of Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou dynasties, which integrated plurality into a unified whole. Further back, during the Five Emperors period, powerful Clan-State Confederations were established in the Central Plains. Thus, from the times of Yao, Shun, and Yu, through the Three Dynasties of Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou, to the Qin and Han, changes in state forms and structures gave rise to three distinct conceptions of “Great Unity”: the concept of “tianxia unity” (unification under heaven), aligned with the Clan-State Confederation of the Yao, Shun, and Yu era; the concept of “unity,” aligned with the “composite dynastic state structure” of the Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou; and the concept of “Great Unity,” aligned with the centralized imperial state under the commandery-county system from the Qin and Han dynasties onward. This constitutes the origin and evolution of the “Great Unity” ideology in China.