中国传统宗藩体制述论

On the Suzerain-Vassal System of Ancient China

中国传统宗藩体制是在中国古代宗法观念、经济、政治、文化等因素的共同作用下形成的,并在不同历史时期发生着各具特点的演变,直至近代解体。这一体制客观上对中国统一的多民族国家的形成和发展带来了正反两方面的影响:一方面,它在较长历史时期中对中国统一多民族国家的最终形成和发展起着不可忽视的推动作用;另一方面至明清时期又阻碍了中国统一多民族国家的发展。因此,如何客观地认识和评价该体制不仅是一个学术问题,更是对中国统一的多民族国家形成历史的重新认识。

Under the joint influence of the ancient China＇s patriarchal idea, economy, politi culture, the Suzerain-Vassal System came into being, and then underwent different changes cs, ideology and according to the needs of different historical periods until it collapsed in the modem times. The Suzerain-Vassal System had both positive and negative effects on the formation and development of China as a nation with different national- ities： on the one hand, it had long been the significant promotion for China to grow into a big nation with different nationalities; on the other, it later was more of a hindrance to unifying different nationalities into a big nation in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Therefore, how to understand and evaluate the Suzerain-Vassal System objectively is not only an academic problem but also a problem of reconsidering the history of China＇s becoming a unified nation of different nationalities.