In regard to the two snips from Yiyan's email I have a notice that is
almost a question I cannot quite frame, RE the state and One Nations, and
filter coffee I guess..., so I'll just babble a bit instead, its been on my
mind a few days now, and maybe refinement will follow...

Consider the following statement:-

"When the Roman Empire was first unified..."

Now this phrase makes little sense, but the statement

"When China was first unified..."

Is very common, and its 'common sense' seems to lie in the assumption that
a non-unitary 'China' (despite the two areas (at least) of independant
development of agriculture on that part of the Eurasian landmass) is
unnatural. 'China' is a virtual oneness to be instilled in the various
subjects of its empire.

While the 'unity' of Europe does not seem to require One Party, ein Folk,
oder ein Fuhrer anymore at all (except on the ingredients and proportions
of the euro-sausage) the notion of One Europe seems very different to One
China, though no doubt the causes (bickering between various sovereignties)
are similar.

No doubt to an emperor or a party of the people the unity of the empire is
a good thing, and no doubt to some commoners (like Pauline Hanson, leader
of an australian 'old white trash industry' the One Nation party) unity and
sameness are wonderfull pieces of common sense one should strive for...

...non?...

So I wonder, what is the difference here between these two parts of the
Eurasian landmass, why is oneness so important here, and in other ways over
there?

What is this fascination with the meme 'One China' "1=chin", is it more
than the requirements of the state, how deep is the cultural attachement,
how many people are ignored by this fetish.

For in multi-cultural australia it is those who desire oneness that are
ignored.

And their resentment educates us.

meika
investigative poet
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~selfsame/


>In contemporary China studies, some scholars suggest that China should be
>approached like the continental Europe because of its regional differences.

>All this started, in my understanding of Chinese history, with the first
>emperor of China, the one depected in the film The Emperor and the Assasin. He
>unified China around 220 BCE and he did three things that had huge impacts on
>unifying China as a nation, namely unification of roads, unification of
>measurement and unification of written language. From then on people from
>different parts of the Chinese empire could communicate in written forms.

>with best regards,
>
>Yiyan
>
>======================================
>Dr Yiyan Wang
>Chinese Studies A18
>University of Sydney NSW 2006
>AUSTRALIA
>
>tel+ 61 2 9351 4512 fax+ 61 2 9351 2319
>email: [log in to unmask]
>======================================