Pax Sinica
As Pax Sinica (Latin for "Chinese Peace") in the are History various epochs of prosperity , stability and peace in Asia called. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the term has been used in an abstraction on the growing economic and geopolitical importance of the People's Republic of China .
Origin and meaning
The historical term Pax Sinica originated in analogy to the Pax Romana , which are mentioned at the same time in fragmentary traditions . Accordingly, the Pax Sinica shaped a longer period of peace in East Asia , which was maintained by the Chinese hegemony . The first long period of peace in the eastern world began under the rule of the Han dynasty like the Pax Romana of the western world under Emperor Augustus around 27 BC. In East Asia, China was the dominant civilization in the region at that time because of its political, economic, military and cultural stability.
Various dynasties ruled during the first Pax Sinica : the Western Zhou Dynasty , the Western Han Dynasty, and the Eastern Han Dynasty . Long- distance trade flourished under their rule , cities grew , the standard of living increased and the population increased. The first Pax Sinica ended at the same time as the Pax Romana around 200 AD.
A second Pax Sinica developed under the Sui dynasty around 589 AD , which the Tang dynasty continued until around 907 AD. This epoch was referred to as the “ Golden Age ” in Chinese scriptures . State-building, the economy, trade, culture and the sciences reached a level that could only be reached in Europe at the end of the 18th century. In particular, the victories over invading nomadic neighbors under Emperor Tang Taizong increased security and peace on many trade routes.
During the second Pax Sinica, trade on the Silk Road prospered . Chinese civilization opened up to different cultures. Many foreign travelers streamed into the country as a result. These included clerics, merchants and envoys from India, Persia, Arabia, Syria, Korea and Japan. With them came new things, for example polo , a game from Persia , was popular with many Chinese at the time ; Iranian, Indian, and Turkish decorations were found on various household items; Women appeared uncovered and in men's clothing on horseback in public. The focal point, center and China's “gateway to the world” was the capital Chang'an , with 1,000,000 inhabitants in the 8th century the largest city in the world at that time. The Huang Chao rebellion ended the second Pax Sinica .
The era of the Ming dynasty was also sometimes referred to as Pax Sinica by historians . During the last dynasty, the Qing Dynasty , China developed into the largest and richest country on earth between 1644 and 1820. A consequence of natural disasters, but above all the violent expansions of the Europeans, above all the English, ended the "Chinese peace". With the First Opium War , a period of subjugation, dismemberment by foreign powers, military conflicts and civil wars began in China from 1839, which only ended in the middle of the 20th century.
The term Pax Sinica has been revived since the beginning of the 21st century, as the rise of China to an economic superpower changed the geopolitical situation in Asia. Many Asians argue that a renewed Pax Sinica in Central Asia could help maintain stability in the region.
See also
literature
- SS Kim: China's Pacific Policy. Reconciling the Irreconcilable. International Journal, 1994.
- YY Kueh: Pax Sinica. Geopolitics and Economics of China's Ascendance, 2012.
- Bogumil Terminski: The Evolution of the Concept of Perpetual Peace in the History of Political-Legal Thought. In: Perspectivas Internacionales. Volume 10, 2010, pp. 277-291.
- Kok Kheng Yeoh: Towards Pax Sinica? China's rise and transformation impacts and implications. University of Malaya, 2009.
- Yongjin Zhang: System, empire and state in Chinese international relations. In: Review of International Studies. Volume 27, 2001, pp. 43-63.