宋代“中国”意识的凸显——关于近世民族主义思想的一个远源

直到宋代,由于北方辽、西夏和后来金、元等异族政权的先后崛起,才真正打破了唐以前汉族中国人关于天下、中国与四夷的传统观念和想像,有了实际的敌国意识和边界意识,才有了关于"中国"有限的空间意识。这种意识不同于欧洲近代民族国家意识,它的真正形成,不仅成为宋代士人极力确立"中国"与"道统"的合法性的历史背景,而且成为近世中国民族主义的一个远源。

The prominence of the "China" consciousness in the Song Dynasty A distant source of nationalism ideology in modern times

Until the Song Dynasty, when different nations as Liao, Xixia, Jin and Yuan established their state powers in succession, the actual consciousness of enemy state, boundary and space that "China" is limited offers a replacement for the traditional ideas of the world, China and all the ethnic minorities around China by Hans before the Tang Dynasty. This is a modern consciousness of nation-state different from that of Europe. It would serve as not only a historical context in which scholars make every effort to legitimate "China" and "Confucian orthodoxy" in the Song Dynasty, but a distant source of nationalism in modern times.