Chapter 4 Section 4 Why we need to understand the history of China’s territorial changes

The history of China's territorial changes is an important part of Chinese history. Without understanding the history of China's territorial changes, it is impossible to correctly understand the development process of Chinese history.Any historical fact occurs within a specific time and space, and the territory of China in the historical period is the specific spatial range of China's historical development.Knowing how big that range is, and what changed when, is therefore essential to our grasp of the basic facts and concepts of history. For example, if we want to distinguish between international relations and domestic relations in historical periods, we must know the territory of China at that time.Northern Vietnam before the 9th century AD was part of the Central Plains dynasty or the local government of China, and the relationship between this region of Vietnam and other parts of China was of course a domestic relationship.But after the 9th century, when Vietnam became an independent state, its relationship with the Central Plains dynasty or local government in China became a state-to-state relationship.If you do not understand the facts of the territory at that time and judge based on the current situation, you will draw wrong conclusions.

The change of territory also reflects the historical process from an important aspect.Before the establishment of modern international relations, the size and degree of consolidation of the territory concentratedly reflected the level of political, economic, military, and cultural development of a regime, as well as the rise and fall of its national strength.Like the early Qing Dynasty, due to its strong military power, economic recovery and development, and the implementation of realistic ethnic policies, unprecedented unification was achieved in the middle of the 18th century, and China's territory reached its peak.But since the Opium War in 1840, China has lost territory time and time again.This is of course the result of external imperialist invasion, but it is also a concrete manifestation of China's weak national strength and regime corruption.

Understanding the history of China's territorial changes can enable us to further understand the glorious achievements of the ancestors of the Chinese nation.How many ancient civilizations in the world have disappeared in the long river of history, how many countries that were once powerful have left piles of ruins, and how many once prosperous lands have changed their owners countless times.Only China, since the Qin Dynasty established a unified dynasty, has survived tenaciously despite countless wars and turmoil, dynasty changes, ethnic conflicts, foreign invasions, natural disasters, and shrinking territory from time to time, and finally developed in the 18th century. It has become a big country with tens of millions of square kilometers, dozens of ethnic groups, and hundreds of millions of people.

The history of China's territorial changes has fully demonstrated the dominant role of the Han nationality.From the Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, China's basic territory - the agricultural area dominated by the Han population has always been stable and consolidated.This provides a reliable foundation for the establishment of a unified country and a big family of nations.The history of China's territorial changes also reflects the great contributions of brotherly nations.The development of China's frontier areas today, and the eventual becoming of these areas as part of China, are inseparable from the hard work of the local ethnic groups.Understanding these will undoubtedly arouse our patriotic enthusiasm, make us strive to maintain the unity of the motherland, cherish the unity among various ethnic groups, and contribute to the great cause of national reunification and modernization.