When we open the grand scroll of world history, in the ancient Oriental civilization, the Qin Dynasty is undoubtedly a dazzling pearl with far-reaching influence. Xi ‘an, the thousand-year ancient capital of Qin Dynasty, is like a silent history teller, quietly waiting for tourists from all over the world to open that magnificent and legendary chapter of history. Compared with the development of European and American history, the Qin Dynasty has walked out of a unique development path and has a unique cultural imprint, which is worth our in-depth exploration, excavation and taste.
Qin Dynasty: An important foundation of Chinese history
In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng, with his great talent and great political wisdom, swept through the six States, ending the hundreds of years of feudal divisions and chaos, and establishing the first unified dynasty in Chinese history – the Qin Dynasty. In the course of world history at that time, this great initiative of epoch-making significance was like a bright star and unique. At the same time, in the distant continent of Europe, there was a Hellenistic age. Although the Hellenistic era has made brilliant achievements in the field of culture and art, the birth of great thinkers and scientists such as Aristotle, Euclid, sculpture, architecture and other art forms have reached a high level, but in the political level, it failed to achieve a high degree of unity, the various city-states are still in constant strife. As far away as the American continent, there was not yet a mature and complete state system like the Qin Dynasty, and the local civilization was still in a relatively primitive stage of development.
A series of reform measures in the Qin Dynasty had an immeasurable and far-reaching impact on the inheritance and development of Chinese culture. Unified weights and measures, the provisions of the national unified length, capacity and weight standards, this measure is like laying a smooth road for economic exchanges, so that trade becomes more smooth and convenient, promote the circulation of materials and economic prosperity. With the unification of characters and the use of small Seal script as the national standard font, people can communicate with each other through the same script no matter how far apart they are, which lays a solid foundation for the spread and inheritance of culture. Even today, more than 2,000 years later, Chinese characters are still an important spiritual bond for the Chinese nation, carrying the wisdom, emotion and historical memory of the Chinese nation. Looking at the history of Europe and the United States, the road of unification of language and weights and measures can be described as long and tortuous. Take Europe as an example. During the Roman Empire, although the unification of language and weights and measures was realized to a certain extent with the powerful military power and political rule, with the division of the Roman Empire, Europe fell into long-term political turmoil and cultural differentiation, and language and weights and measures became complicated again. It was not until modern times that relative unity was gradually realized in different countries and regions.
Xi ‘an: Witness to the history of Qin Dynasty
Xi ‘an, known in ancient times as Chang ‘an, an ancient and charming city, was one of the important capitals of the Qin Dynasty. Walking in the streets of Xi ‘an, it seems that you can feel the heavy breath of history, every inch of land is deeply imprinted with traces of history, and every scenic spot is like a vivid history book, silently telling the changes and rise and fall of the Qin Dynasty. Come to Xi ‘an, the world-famous Terracotta Army is not to be missed must go. Known as the “eighth wonder of the world”, the underground army is grand in scale and magnificent in momentum. Into the museum of Terracotta Warriors, thousands of lifelike terracotta warriors neatly arranged, their expressions are different, some eyes are firm, as if staring at the distant battlefield; Some looked solemn, as if they were waiting for the trumpet to go out. These terracotta warriors have a complete range of soldiers, including formidable general terracotta warriors, warriors and horses, which together constitute a powerful underground army, vividly reproducing the powerful military power of the Qin Dynasty. Compared with the Roman Colosseum, a famous historical site in Europe and America, the two have completely different cultural connotations. The Colosseum is a landmark building of the ancient Roman Empire, mainly used for gladiator performances and beast fighting and other entertainment activities, which more reflects the entertainment and competitive culture at that time, showing the ancient Roman people’s admiration for strength and courage. The Terracotta warriors are a concentrated embodiment of the military culture of the Qin Dynasty, which reflects the Qin Dynasty’s emphasis on military strength and its efforts to maintain national unity and territorial integrity.
The Xi ‘an City Wall is also an important window into the history of the Qin Dynasty. Most of the city walls we see today were built in the Ming Dynasty on the basis of the Sui and Tang walls, but the concept and defense system of the city walls can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty. Standing on the lofty city wall, overlooking the bustling scene of Xi ‘an City, people can not help but have thousands of thoughts, as if crossing back to the Qin Dynasty that Jin Ge iron horse era. The city wall in front of us is tall and thick, the city gate is strong and majestic, and the defense facilities such as lookout tower and arrow tower on the city wall are available, which makes people deeply feel the importance of the city wall in military defense during the Qin Dynasty. In Europe and the United States, there are also many old castles and walls, such as Edinburgh Castle in England. Perched on top of an extinct volcano in the heart of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle is not only a military fortress, but also a symbol of Scottish history and culture, and was once the residence of the Scottish royal family. However, compared with the city wall of Xi ‘an, the architectural style of Edinburgh Castle is full of strong European medieval characteristics, and its function is more focused on the residence of nobles and military defense stronghold, while the city wall of Xi ‘an is the core component of the overall defense system of the city, reflecting the Qin Dynasty attaches great importance to urban planning and defense, as well as the long-term consideration of national security.
Cultural collision: The integration of Qin Dynasty and European and American history
In today’s globalized world, the booming development of modern tourism makes the world smaller and smaller. More and more European and American tourists come to Xi ‘an to explore the mysterious and fascinating history and culture of the Qin Dynasty. When they stood in front of the Terracotta warriors and witnessed the magnificent underground army, they were all struck by the exquisite skills of the ancient Chinese craftsmen and the powerful military power of the Qin Dynasty. They marveled at the lifelike nature of the clay figurines and became fascinated by China’s ancient cultural traditions. Such exchanges and collisions across national boundaries and cultural differences not only let European and American tourists have a deep understanding of the broad and profound Chinese history, but also opened a window for Chinese people to understand the history and culture of Europe and the United States. By comparing the history of the Qin Dynasty with that of Europe and the United States, it is not difficult to find that although the historical development paths of different regions are very different, they all contain human beings’ unremitting pursuit of a better life and infinite wisdom. Both the great feat of unifying the six countries in the Qin Dynasty and the major changes in the history of Europe and the United States are important milestones in the development of human civilization.
Xi ‘an, a city that connects ancient and modern times and integrates Chinese and foreign countries, is attracting the world’s attention with its unique historical charm and profound cultural heritage. It is not only a famous historical and cultural city, but also an excellent platform to study history and exchange culture. Here, you can delve into the history of the Qin Dynasty and explore the development of ancient Chinese civilization; You can also interact with tourists from all over the world and feel the charm of different cultures. A visit to Xi ‘an is not just a simple sightseeing tour, but also a cultural journey through time and a rare opportunity to have a dialogue with world history. Let’s walk into Xi ‘an together to feel the broad and profound history of the Qin Dynasty, appreciate the unique charm generated by the integration of Eastern and Western cultures, and find our own cultural insights and spiritual touches in the interweaving of history and modernity.