風蕭蕭_Frank
以文會友
中國是怎麽從那麽一丁點變得這麽大的
As a super fan of the historical atlas, I would like to share some insights I gained when compiling the historical map of China:
作為曆史地圖集的超級粉絲，我想分享我在編纂中國曆史地圖時獲得的一些見解：
Chapter 1: Expansion of China as a Concept
第一章：中國作為一個概念的擴展
When China is translated from English to Chinese, it should be referred to as "ceramics" rather than "China". There are many aliases for different languages in China, including Khitan in Russian.
當China從英文翻譯回中文時，它應該被稱為“陶瓷”，而不是“中國”。中國有許多不同語言的別名，包括俄語中的契丹語。
Like any other concept, China has evolved in different eras. In the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty, it was introduced into the inscription of the ritual vessel "He Zun". The king hailed his success and carved a passage:
與其他任何概念一樣，中國是在不同的時代演變而來的。西周初年，周武王推翻商朝時，它被引入禮器“和尊”的銘文中。國王為他的成功歡呼，雕刻了一段話：
餘其宅茲中或（國），自之乂民。
According to his definition, China is the center, while the country is a city or urban area. At that time, China was the political center. His successor, the Regent, established another stronghold called Chengzhou in order to better control present-day eastern China. At that time, it was a hub located almost at the center of the Zhou Kingdom. Since then, China has been elevated as a geopolitical center as a concept.
根據他的定義，中是中心，而國是城市或城區。當時，中國是政治中心。他的繼任攝政王為了更好地控製現在的中國東部，建立了另一個據點，稱為城州。當時它是一個樞紐，幾乎位於周王國的中心。從那時起，中國作為一個概念被提升為地緣政治中心。
The Western Zhou Dynasty was severely weakened by the barbarians in the north, thus losing its hegemony in other Eastern countries. The relationship between countries rapidly degenerated into an endless struggle for new hegemony. Therefore, small countries were annexed by great powers, and invading barbarians were expelled from land with abundant resources, dense populations, and larger areas. At that time, these emerging regional powers were forcing/persuading the King of Zhou to recognize them as leaders of the alliance, and the concept of "China" was expanded to include regional powers.
西周王朝被北方的野蠻人嚴重削弱，從而失去了在東方其他國家中的霸權。各國關係迅速退化為爭奪新霸權的無休止的鬥爭。因此，小國被大國吞並，入侵的野蠻人被驅逐出資源豐富、人口稠密和麵積更大的土地。當時，這些新興的地區大國正在迫使/說服周朝國王承認他們為聯盟的領導人，而“中國”作為一個概念被擴展到包括地區大國。
With the improvement of agriculture, maturity of political structure, technological updates, and population growth, hunting activities subsequently escalated into death competitions. After the barbarians were conquered and their land was annexed, when regional powers reached a stalemate in the war for hegemony, they officially crowned themselves.
隨著農業的改善、政治結構的成熟、技術的更新和人口的增長，狩獵活動隨後升級為死亡競賽。在野蠻人被征服和他們的土地被吞並之後，當地區大國在爭奪霸權的戰爭中陷入僵局時，他們正式為自己加冕，成為國王。
Due to short-sighted mutual conspiracies, the other six regional powers, despite fierce resistance in some way, still fell trembling in front of Qin and Ying Zheng. I think you have always known that he was the first emperor of China.
由於目光短淺的相互陰謀，其他六個地區大國盡管以某種方式進行了激烈的抵抗，但還是戰戰兢兢地倒在秦國和嬴政麵前。我想你一直都知道，他是中國的第一位皇帝。
Therefore, ancient emperors, usurpers, and potential opponents would strive for the unification of China, as this is a prerequisite for proving that they are the legitimate rulers of the people.
因此，古代皇帝、篡位者和可能的反對者會致力於中國統一，因為這是證明他們是人民合法統治者的先決條件。
Chapter 2: Agriculture and Population
第二章：農業與人口
• Wide agricultural areas
• 廣闊的農業區
Like the other three civilizations, ancient China itself grew on the fertile alluvial plain of the Yellow River.
與其他三大文明類似，古代中國也生長在肥沃的黃河衝積平原上。
However, there is a significant but perhaps fortunate difference between ancient China and ancient Egypt, where the Yellow River roars on a vast wilderness rather than a relatively narrow valley, which hinders the latter's further expansion as the Sahara Desert is not suitable for habitation, especially after 6000 BC.
然而，古代中國和古埃及之間有一個重大但也許是幸運的區別，黃河在一個廣闊的荒原上咆哮，而不是一個相對狹窄的山穀，這阻礙了後者的進一步擴張，因為撒哈拉沙漠不適合居住，尤其是在公元前6000年之後。
But the silver lining of hope for the ancient Egyptians was that at least the God of the Nile was in stark contrast to the God of the Yellow River, as it only flowed in one direction, not infinitely. Therefore, the ancient Chinese living on the alluvial plain in northern China needed to unite to fight against natural disasters to ensure their crops and survival, which in turn determined that China was born larger than other countries.
但古埃及人的一線希望是，至少尼羅河之神與黃河之神形成了鮮明對比，它隻朝一個方向泛濫，而不是無限泛濫。因此，生活在中國北方衝積平原上的古代中國人非常需要團結一致抗擊自然災害，以確保他們的莊稼和生存，這反過來決定了多災多難的中國生來就比其他國家更大。
• Ancient empires fueled population explosion
• 古代帝國助長人口激增
During the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, the development of agriculture promoted population growth. When a power vacuum arises as I mentioned in the first chapter, a prolonged war is inevitable. Therefore, regional powers have realized a decisive factor in long-term competition - human resources.
夏、商、周三朝時期，農業的發展促進了人口的增長。當權力真空像我在第一章所說的那樣出現時，一場持久的戰爭不可避免。因此，地區大國意識到了長期競爭中的一個決定性因素——人力。
Therefore, they racked their brains for population growth, including the famous dialogue between the kind King of Wei and the philosopher Mencius. In addition, I would like to point out that this is a profound reform of the Qin state, which has made it more difficult to divide the extended family. In this way, in a large-scale war, the Qin state will usher in a baby boom. These babies were born to their parents aged 14 or 15, so they will serve the kingdom and empire in a timely manner as they grow up.
因此，他們為人口的增長絞盡腦汁，其中包括善良的魏王和哲學家孟子之間的著名對話。此外，我想指出的是，這是秦國的深刻改革，它使大家庭的分裂變得更加困難，這樣，在大範圍戰爭中，秦國將迎來嬰兒潮。這些嬰兒是由他們14歲或15歲的父母生下的，因此，他們長大後將及時為王國和帝國服務。
The first emperor, as a beneficiary of his predecessor, held a huge army during the unification of China. Therefore, he managed to overwhelmingly conquer the locals of present-day Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian. When his son, the incompetent Emperor II, failed to maintain rule from the farmers led by Han Dynasty founder Liu Bang and the heirs of the former kingdom conquered by the first emperor, a force composed of prisoners, merchants, and other farmers who may serve the army, like the panda warriors in World of Warcraft, stayed on the newly acquired land.
第一任皇帝作為其前任的受益者，在統一中國時掌握了一支龐大的軍隊。因此，他設法以壓倒性的力量征服了今天的廣東、廣西和福建的當地人。當他的兒子，無能的皇帝二世未能從漢朝創始人劉邦領導的農民和被第一個皇帝征服的前王國的繼承人手中保持統治時，由俘虜、商人和可能為軍隊服務的其他農民組成的部隊，像《魔獸世界》中的熊貓戰士一樣，留在新獲得的土地上。
In summary, I would like to say that the development of agriculture and even the demographic advantages brought by the rulers themselves were also the dominant factors in the expansion of ancient China.
綜上所述，我想說，農業的發展甚至統治者自身帶來的人口優勢也是古代中國擴張的主導因素。
Around 201 BC, when the first emperor of the Han Dynasty defeated all his opponents, the Han Empire was like this. The rulers of South Vietnam (Guangdong and Guangxi) bowed to the emperor and lowered his title to King instead of Emperor, while Min Yue (present-day southern Fujian and Zhejiang in China) was actually a fiefdom recognized and restored by the emperor.
公元前201年左右，當漢朝第一位皇帝擊敗了所有對手時，漢帝國就是這樣。南越（廣東和廣西）的統治者向皇帝俯首稱臣，將他的頭銜降為國王，而不是皇帝，而閩越（今天中國的福建和浙江南部）實際上是皇帝承認並恢複的封地。
Chapter 3: Geographical Conditions
第三章：地理條件
Before we start this chapter, can anyone answer me why Russia is so vast? What is its expansion accelerator?
在我們開始這一章之前，有人能回答我為什麽俄羅斯如此遼闊嗎？它的擴張加速器是什麽？
Well, a possible answer that applies to China and Russia can explain this point-
嗯，一個適用於中國和俄羅斯的可能答案可以解釋這一點-
• Water conservancy
•水利
Similar to Kiev Ross and Tsarist Russia, ancient China always conquered and unified by floating in rivers. As the first emperor, he ordered a large number of laborers to open the canal between the Yangtze River and the Pearl River in Guangzhou and Guangxi. For centuries, this canal has been the main transportation channel between economically developed regions and southern China. This canal is called the Lingqu Canal. From then on, China expanded to Lingnan and established stable control there.
與莫斯科大公國基輔羅斯和沙俄相似，古代中國總是通過漂浮在河流中來征服和統一。作為第一任皇帝，他命令大量勞動力在廣州和廣西開通長江和珠江之間的運河。幾個世紀以來，這條運河是經濟發達地區和中國南方之間的主要交通通道。這條運河被稱為靈渠。從此，中國擴張到嶺南，並在那裏建立了穩固的控製。
Water, especially the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River, can sometimes be used as a natural barrier and a natural danger against invasion.
水，特別是淮河和長江，有時也可以用作天然屏障和防禦入侵的天險。
Due to the Three Kingdoms Civil War, the nomad on the Mongolian Plateau, and the repeated invasions of the Khitans and Nuzhen people in the northeast, the remaining troops and refugees of the Chinese dynasty had to move to the south of China and use the water network there to resist cavalry from the north. The local people in the south were assimilated by people from the north, so China has remained united until today. As for the invaders from the north, they were also assimilated by the outnumbered, conquered but culturally advanced Chinese.
由於三國內戰、蒙古高原遊牧民族以及東北契丹人和女真人的多次入侵，中國王朝剩下的部隊和難民不得不遷移到中國南部，並使用那裏的水網來抵抗來自北方的騎兵。南方的當地人被來自北方的人同化，因此中國直到今天都是團結一致的。至於北方的入侵者，他們也被寡不敵眾、被征服但文化先進的中國人同化。
China is still a mountainous country. From the map above, it can be seen that people in southern China may use the Qinling Mountains and Daba Mountains as their natural defenses.
中國還是一個多山的國家。從上麵的地圖上可以看出，中國南方人可能會使用秦嶺和大巴山作為他們的天然防禦。
The Qinghai Tibet Plateau in southwestern China and the Tianshan Mountains in northwestern China were impassable during the large-scale invasion of China in ancient times. This situation did not change until the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
中國西南部的青藏高原和中國西北部的天山在古代對中國的大規模入侵是無法通行的。這種情況直到16、17和18世紀才發生變化。
The same logic also applies to the expansion of ancient China in the the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. With the progress of technology, its altitude is increasingly unsuitable for settlement and military operations. However, when the imperial Chinese army of the Qing Dynasty found it still difficult to penetrate the thick and humid jungle, the process of conquering Southeast Asia was severely delayed.
同樣的邏輯也適用於古代中國在雲貴高原的擴張，隨著技術的進步，它的海拔高度越來越不適合定居和軍事行動。然而，當清朝的中國帝國軍隊發現自己仍然難以穿過厚厚潮濕的叢林時，征服東南亞的過程被嚴重推遲。
In addition, since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in the 1st century BC, the political and cultural connections between local tribes and imperial China have become increasingly close. The rise of the Tang Dynasty and its inheritance rights in the 16th to 18th centuries posed a new direct threat to the tribes of Yunnan, until they discovered that the rule of the Chinese emperor was relatively moderate.
此外，自公元前1世紀漢朝武帝以來，當地部落在政治和文化上與帝國中國的聯係越來越緊密。唐朝的崛起及其在16~18世紀的繼承權對雲南部落構成了新的直接威脅，直到他們發現中國皇帝的統治相對溫和。
Chapter 4: Security and Communication
第四章：安全和通信
Since Emperor Wu of Han, the expansion of the Chinese Empire was driven by security and communication considerations, which influenced and guided the basic expansion direction of the later unified and powerful ancient Chinese Empire.
自漢武帝以來，中國帝國的擴張是出於安全和通信的考慮，這影響並指導了後來統一而強大的古代中國帝國的基本擴張方向。
• Safety issues
• 安全問題
The second stage of ancient China's expansion was the result of the limited defense expansion policy aimed at frequent attacks by northern nomad. This situation was common in ancient agricultural areas bordering pastoral areas.
古代中國擴張的第二階段是針對北方遊牧民族頻繁襲擊的有限防禦擴張政策的結果。這種情況在古代與牧區接壤的農業區很常見。
When the ancient Chinese prospered and unified under the rule of the Han Dynasty, the nomad of the Huns on the Mongolian Plateau ended their aimless wandering and became an aggressive ruling force controlling the northeast, west and central Asia of China. When the worst-case scenario occurred, the emperors of the Han Dynasty found themselves surrounded by an oppressive, even hostile alliance. The years of plundering by the Xiongnu confirmed the correctness of Emperor Wu's alliance with the Dayue clan. However, when Zhang Qian visited, the Yue people showed no interest in retaliating against the Xiongnu. Emperor Wu of Han had no choice but to fight alone.
當古代中國人在漢朝統治下繁榮昌盛和統一時，蒙古高原上的匈奴遊牧民族結束了他們漫無目的的流浪，成為一個控製中國東北西部和中亞的侵略性統治力量。當最壞的情況發生時，漢朝的皇帝發現他們被一個壓迫性的，甚至是敵對的聯盟包圍。匈奴多年的掠奪證實了武帝聯合大月氏的正確性。然而，當張騫來訪時，月氏人對報複匈奴毫無興趣。漢武帝別無選擇，隻能獨自作戰。
Therefore, the chessboard once again expanded to the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, the western region of Xinjiang, and present-day North Korea and Guangdong Province. These areas are necessary for the empire's defense and expansion.
因此，疆域再次擴展到甘肅省的河西走廊、新疆的西部地區、今天朝鮮和廣東省。這些地區是帝國防禦擴張所必需的。
The above "Emperor Wu Han Map" illustrates the location of the new area on the broader chessboard that I just mentioned. When Emperor Wu passed away, the situation had already been reversed.
上麵的《武帝漢圖》說明了我剛才提到的更廣泛疆域中新區域的位置。武帝去世時，已經扭轉了局勢。
From then on, the Hexi Corridor was regarded as an important component by every military power dynasty in ancient China. Its farmers, settlers and garrisons were deployed in the Hexi Corridor to encircle nomad until the Qing Dynasty, which made Mongolia firmly integrated into it for a long time. However, facing the huge desert in the western region, logistics costs are also a major challenge.
從此，河西走廊被中國古代每一個軍事強國王朝視為重要的組成部分。其農民、定居者和駐軍被部署在河西走廊，以圍剿遊牧民族，直到清朝，這使蒙古在很長一段時間內牢牢地融入其中。然而，麵對西部地區巨大的沙漠，物流成本也是一個重大挑戰。
河西走廊
Therefore, some dynasties, as their capital shifts from the current western region to the eastern part of Henan and even Hebei Province, will choose to change their defense priorities as Peter the Great did to Russia.
因此，一些王朝，隨著他們的首都從現在的西部轉移到河南甚至河北省的東部，會選擇像彼得大帝對俄羅斯所做的那樣改變防禦優先權。
A typical example of this is the Ming Dynasty. Since the Song Dynasty, the northern part of Hebei Province has not recovered lost land. Her mortal enemies were first the Khitans, and later the Jurchen. Their economic and political capital was in present-day Beijing, which was inherited by the Yuan Dynasty.
這方麵的典型例子是明代。自宋代以來，河北省北部一直沒有收複失地。她的死敵首先是契丹人，後來是女真人，他們的經濟和政治首都都在現在的北京，這是元朝繼承的。
The following Ming Dynasty overthrew the Yuan Dynasty. However, due to the strategic importance of the Wulianhai nobility located in northeastern China, Emperor Yongle decided to relocate the capital from Nanjing to Beijing in order to directly confront the Mongols and control the Jurchen in northeastern China. Since the Tang Dynasty ruled Northeast China 700 years ago, ancient China has greatly improved its control over Northeast China.
接下來的明朝推翻了元朝。然而，由於具有重要戰略意義的烏連海貴族位於中國東北部，永樂皇帝決定將首都從南京遷至北京，以直接對抗蒙古人，並控製中國東北部的女真。自700年前唐朝統治東北以來，古代中國大大改善了對東北的控製。
In summary, the continuous military struggles between ancient Chinese agricultural and pastoral peoples objectively promoted their expansion.
綜上所述，中國古代農牧民族之間不斷的軍事鬥爭客觀上促進了其擴張。
• Communication
• 通信
Most of the time in ancient China was open and inclusive, except for the maritime ban policy implemented by the Japanese pirates. As is well known, the most famous communication channel is the Silk Road. The powerful emperors of ancient China also needed a clear path and stable base on the Silk Road to achieve the following two goals:
古代中國在大多數時候都是開放和包容的，除了因為日本倭寇而實施的海禁政策。眾所周知，最著名的溝通渠道是絲綢之路。古代中國強大的皇帝也需要在絲綢之路上有一條清晰的道路和穩定的基地，以實現以下兩個目的：
First, cut off the financial resources of nomad. In fact, the most important transit point on the Silk Road has always been Persia, especially Central Asia. Unlike the powerful Persian Empire, the city-state of Sogdiana has been under great pressure from the Mongolian Plateau and nomad in northern Kazakhstan. Imperialist China will never miss such a huge opportunity and not try to gain control. Therefore, the emperors of the Han, Tang, and Qing dynasties intervened and controlled the western region and even Central Asia.
首先，切斷遊牧民族的財政資源。事實上，絲綢之路最重要的中轉站一直是波斯，尤其是中亞。與強大的波斯帝國不同，索格迪亞納的城邦一直受到來自蒙古高原和哈薩克斯坦北部遊牧民族的巨大壓力。帝國主義的中國絕不會放過如此巨大的機會而不去嚐試染指。因此，漢、唐、清王朝的皇帝介入並控製了西部地區甚至中亞地區。
Secondly, import more luxury goods and foreign goods. The rulers of powerful empires are always excited about walnuts, grapes, horses, and jade from Turkmenistan. For this reason, soldiers are stationed in the western region.
第二，進口更多奢侈品和外國商品。強大帝國的統治者總是對核桃、葡萄、土庫曼斯坦的馬和玉器感到興奮。為此，士兵駐紮在西部地區。
However, due to logistical issues, this expansion cannot surpass the Aral Sea. Excessive expansion will be fiercely criticized by Confucian scholars, who believe that the cost is too high and people's uprisings cannot be ignored. Therefore, ancient China failed to expand excessively.
然而，由於後勤問題，這種擴張不能超越鹹海。過度擴張將受到儒家學者的猛烈批評，他們認為成本太高，人民起義也不容忽視。因此，古代中國未能過度擴張。
The story of the Western Regions also took place in southwestern China, when Emperor Wu of Han hoped to communicate with India through the rainforests of Myanmar. However, since then, the power of the empire has extended to present-day Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. Although both Nanzhao and Dali in Yunnan had kingdoms from the 8th to the 13th century, the Ming and Qing dynasties successfully restored their rule there due to struggles with previous generations of loyalists.
西域的故事也發生在中國西南部，當時漢武帝希望通過緬甸的雨林與印度溝通。然而，從那時起，帝國的權力延伸到了現在的雲南和貴州省。盡管從8世紀到13世紀，雲南的南詔和大理都有王國，但明清王朝由於與前幾代的效忠者的鬥爭，成功地恢複了對那裏的統治。
Chapter 5: Flexibility of Governance Structure
第五章：治理結構的靈活性
Although ancient China was a bit stubborn, it showed great flexibility in its governance structure. That is to say, different systems will be applied to different regions.
古代中國盡管有點尾大不掉，但在治理結構上表現出極大的靈活性。也就是說，不同的係統將應用於不同的區域。
Because nomad used to be rulers, once they occupied a certain area in ancient China, they would claim to be the legitimate rulers of China, as I mentioned in Chapter 1. Therefore, they will accelerate the acceptance of the ruling system recognized by the local agricultural people (most of whom are actually Han Chinese). In this case, assimilation will inevitably begin.
因為遊牧民族曾經是統治者，一旦他們占據了中國古代的一定麵積，他們就會聲稱自己是中國的合法統治者，正如我在第一章中所述。因此，他們會加速接受當地農業人民（實際上大多數是漢族人）認可的統治製度。在這種情況下，同化必然會開始。
For the Chinese imperial rulers from agricultural areas, their choice would be to restrain nomad and tribes by appointing their nobles as local or regional rulers. The emperor will defend their rights by recruiting cavalry or mountain novices from nomad and tribes at the cost of economic exchange. I avoid using the term trade because most of the time, deficits are a heavy burden for the emperor.
對於來自農業地區的中國帝國統治者來說，他們的選擇將是通過任命他們的貴族擔任地方或地區統治者來約束遊牧民族和部落。皇帝將通過從遊牧民族和部落中征募騎兵或山區新手來維護他們的權利，以犧牲經濟交換為代價。我避免使用貿易這個詞，因為大多數時候，赤字對皇帝來說是一個沉重的負擔。
For theocratic regions like ancient Tibet, emperors, regardless of their background (Mongolian, Han, or Manchu), will exercise imperial sovereignty by respecting religion and religious leaders.
對於像古代西藏這樣的神權地區，皇帝，無論其出身（蒙古、漢族或滿族），都將通過尊重宗教和宗教領袖來行使帝國主權。
Therefore, ancient China was able to grow and mature.
因此，古代中國得以成長和成熟。
Okay, I must stop here because a person's energy, time, and wisdom are all limited. I may consider providing more detailed explanations on various issues.
好吧，我必須在這裏停下來，因為一個人的精力、時間和智慧都是有限的。我可能會考慮對各種問題提出更詳細的解釋。
Thank you for reading.
