Why did ancient China never colonize other places?

When Zheng He sailed to the Western Seas in the Ming Dynasty, his fleet of 20,000 people had the power to destroy many Southeast Asian countries. The strong military power and the material conditions for the fleet to be self-sufficient did not promote the development of a large number of colonies. , Zheng He used a completely different, ancient and Chinese way to handle the relationship with those earth kings.

The establishment of a large number of tributary countries and the establishment of diplomatic relations with friendly countries replaced armed colonization. However, the colonization of America caused by Columbus's geographical discovery brought huge wealth, which caused a leap in Western politics, military and science. The non-colonial policy of the Ming Dynasty has even been regarded as a turning point in the transformation of the advantages and disadvantages of the East and the West in history. So why did the Ming Dynasty not establish a colonial system?

In fact, if you look at the history, you can see that the colonies are the West The unique territorial requirements of capitalist society arise from the need of mercantilist society to control resources and markets. The Ming Dynasty was a feudal dynasty that traditionally valued agriculture, and its expansion of territory was also governed by traditional garrisons and officials.

Chinese people’s self-confidence in their own sense of superiority has caused the people to regard other areas as barbaric areas. In ancient Chinese culture, those who leave their hometowns are those who are really unable to gain a foothold, and those who die thousands of miles away cannot return to their roots. , is simply a sentence of exile, and is incompatible with ancient Chinese culture.

In the administrative system, the jurisdiction of colonies is thousands of miles away, and its ideas conflict with centralization. All of the above have resulted in China not starting foreign colonization.

1. The foundation of colonies, control of resources and markets

1. The importance of colonies in the Western social system

The source of the great Western geographical discoveries, It is the acquisition of resources, mainly focusing on the acquisition of spices and silk. The records of the wealth and resources of the East by Marco Polo and other Western travelers made the Western world, which had been cut off by the Ottoman Turkish Empire, eager to obtain the resources it needed. Equivalent to the value of gold.

The plunder of the Inca Empire in South America led to the prosperity of Spain. With the emergence of capitalism, a large amount of textile production was overproduced and a larger market was needed. The concept of colonial establishment was completely based on the first Western business. The embodiment of this concept, except for Russia, Britain and France and other countries are only interested in key hub territories. This is also because colonization is limited by population and technological level.

2. Colonies cannot be positioned in China’s agriculture-based society

For China, commercial interests have never been given priority in national interests. China’s dynasties have changed. It is the struggle for heaven. Jiuding established the basic structure of China a long time ago. Our country is vast and many places had the potential to continue to be cultivated during the Ming Dynasty. In terms of land and food production, China had no intention of opening colonies, and The logistics cost of transporting food from the colonies greatly exceeded the food itself. From an agricultural perspective, it was absurd to open a colony.

If the Song Dynasty could survive, I think his style would have a certain possibility of establishing colonies, if the pursuit of commercial interests trumped Confucian rules. China does have a colonial-like setup, and vassal states such as Ryukyu, Annan, and Korea can also be seen as resource points and markets controlled by the central dynasty.

However, large-scale immigration is almost impossible. In Asia, this means war. The Manchu and Ming Dynasties fought against Burma and Vietnam not for colonization, but because of national dignity and other more important reasons. The reason is that the political style of ancient China is like this. It is in sharp contrast with the overly pragmatic Western society

3. The political factors of Zheng He’s voyages to the West

Zheng He The most fundamental reason for his voyages to the West is probably the rumor that Emperor Jianwen was living in Nanyang. After all, Li Jun in Water Margin has a legend about opening up territories in Nanyang. In fact, starting from the Song Dynasty, although there was no state behavior, private business activities were still It allowed Chinese businessmen to control the trade of major commodities in Southeast Asia.

Spices that became luxuries in the Song Dynasty, porcelain and tea that were regarded as luxuries by local rulers were all important sources of profits for Chinese businessmen. It can be said that from a folk perspective, considering the Chinese In the superior position in local commercial activities, there are a few seeds of colonization, but without the intervention of national power and the lack of protection by military force, this cannot be regarded as a complete prototype of a colony.

2. Chinese culture attaches great importance to hometown

1. Hometown plays an important role in Chinese culture

Unlike the West, which pays more attention to business interests, in Chinese culture, The meaning of hometown is extremely important. In the guild halls of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, fellow villagers built cemeteries to appease the souls of wanderers. At the last moment of their lives, many people paid high prices for transportation back to their hometowns, hoping to spend the last part of their lives in the air of their hometowns. road.

This is an important existence in Chinese culture. The ancients did not have the idea of ??leaving their hometown unless they were forced to do so. Confucian teachings such as not traveling far away while their parents are still with them restrained people's adventurous spirit. Even in the officialdom, in a large number of territories in the southwest and northwest, the arrangement of officials was equivalent to dismissal. By the middle of the Qing Dynasty, county magistrates in Yunnan and other places, those who held positions of power, even excused themselves from illness, and some would rather resign than take up their jobs. The lack of.

Exile in ancient times was the punishment second only to beheading, but it is not the greatest thing to spend the rest of your life in a colony farther away than the place of exile, or to let your descendants spend the rest of their lives there. Punishment? How could a colonial trend arise in such an environment?

2. The factors of Chinese culture’s confidence and belief in itself

At a time when the Western world is advancing by leaps and bounds, it is full of The rulers of the Qing Dynasty still had a strong sense of national pride. In their eyes, the West only saw some outstanding gadgets and so-called strange skills. However, when the Manchu Qing Dynasty was beaten again and again, they just shouted "only" The ship is strong and the guns are sharp.

Our nation prides itself on being in the center of the world, and indeed has no obvious shortcomings in terms of property. The superior environment has resulted in insufficient motivation for expansion. Our nation has grown as big as we think it can within the limits allowed by geographical conditions. We do not need any colonies, and religion is also an important factor in the operation of Western colonies. Christianity In the teachings of the Christian Church,

Converting those who do not believe in Christ to become believers is the responsibility stipulated in the teachings.

The strongest colonists in the Western colonies, the most courageous colonists who dared to go deep into unfamiliar areas, were mostly priests with strong religious complexes. They did have a universal plot, and they were burdened with the will of God. The responsibility conveyed to the barbarians, this sense of religious responsibility was an important factor in the early immigrants' pursuit of inner peace in the colonies.

The Spanish shouted the Virgin Mary, and the British Protestants shouted Christ and killed countless Incas and Indians. This is a skill that our nation does not have. People in the Ming Dynasty did not know how to do it. Shouting slogans like "long live Confucius and long live our emperor," they went to slaughter the semi-civilized peoples in the forests of Southeast Asia.

3. The maritime peoples are indeed more adventurous and pioneering

From the Vikings to the Angles, these peoples can find sea routes for war in the harsh sea conditions of the North Atlantic. , has been pursuing adventure all his life, which is determined by national culture. Odin will never begrudge his Valhalla to the warriors who open up territories.

The early Spaniards, Portuguese, and Italians were indeed more adventurous. This national character cannot be explained clearly in a few words. After all, except for European colonists, other civilizations in Eurasia did not have a large number of In the history of colonial construction, of course the Arabs did capture a large number of black slaves on the African coast.

The style of Chinese civilization has become more and more conservative since the Song Dynasty. The heroic spirit of the Han and Tang Dynasties was restricted by technological power, and the explorations of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were suppressed by politics.

3. Centralization and Feudal System

1. The Fragmented Feudal West

For the large number of successful colonists in South America, the Spanish royal family was not stingy with titles. Many of these conquerors, who were soldiers and libertines, became marquises and dukes. The fragmented feudal system in the West was accustomed to enfeoffment. As long as you could bring profits to the royal family, there was no political concern for the colonists. obstacles, and even great encouragement.

In the colony, commercial interests and feudalism supported each other and formed a reasonable political structure. After the colonists succeeded, they could choose to stay in the colony or return to the mother country with huge wealth to accept the title. This kind of perfect reward similar to that of Qin's military merit made those brave young people with little future in the mother country flock to the colony.

2. The potential threat of centralization

How should a colonial leader be defined in a dynasty like the Ming Dynasty? It’s a joke to make a king. The vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty only met each other in battle. Official, what grade of official is it? How can an official accept supervision?

If your family members stay in the mainland, no one is likely to be willing to go. If your family members are taken away, is it not a thorn in the heart of the central dynasty that you want to be independent? This is the case in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The central government did not leave a blank political position for the colonies. It was not a shortcut to becoming an official. It was a threat to the central government.

Conclusion:

Colonies are the front line for mercantilist Western countries to seize resources and compete for markets. In terms of national policies and economic interests, the Western world is full of concerns about the construction of colonies. The motivation, the national character of the maritime peoples, and the church's sense of responsibility for missionary work all make establishing a foothold in strange lands the most interesting thing for these countries.

The colonists received generous political treatment. From being a bachelor to a knight, the economic returns were astonishing. After paying huge protection fees to the royal family, there was still a large surplus. In terms of traditional political philosophy, Central Plains dynasties such as the Ming Dynasty paid more attention to agricultural stability and had little interest in colonies resulting from the supremacy of commercial interests.

The fact that the country is vast and rich in resources has also created a sense of national pride to a certain extent. The overwhelming advantage of civilization over the surrounding areas has made the government have no desire to expand the barbarian lands. However, Chinese philosophy, Confucianism and Taoism There was no strong desire to preach. The centralized system could not reasonably arrange those unsupervised officials who were thousands of miles away. Naturally, the Ming Dynasty lacked interest in colonies.