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Keywords

cross-civilizational comparison, Chinese civilization, Great Unity, first principles

Abstract

Drawing on Liah Greenfeld’s (2024) framework of Systematic Cross-Civilizational Comparison, this study examines Chinese civilization as an enduring and culturally autonomous system shaped by its unique first principles, “the Great Unity”, which integrates Confucian orthodoxy, political legitimacy, and cultural tradition into a coherent worldview. Historically, this framework justified dynastic rule through moral virtue and the Mandate of Heaven, forming a durable model of statecraft that incorporated Taoist, Legalist, and Buddhist influences. Expressed and perpetuated through the Chinese language, these principles have systematically shaped the civilization’s modes of thought, ethics, and emotional patterns. Although the Opium War and subsequent “Century of Humiliation” prompted critical reflection on tradition, China’s recent reemergence has revitalized scholarly interest in its developmental model. This paper argues that modern China represents not a rupture with its past, but an organic continuation of its civilizational legacy. Truly valid cross-civilizational analysis must therefore be grounded in rigorous contextual understanding rather than external categorization.

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