摘要
In East Asia---China, Japan and Korea^there has always existed both a desire and hope for regional integration. Europe has been, and remains, a symbolic model of regional integration at political, economic, social and cultural levels. The hope to achieve a similar regional community has provided the momentum and impetus to think about a more general idea of East Asia： An idea that might substantiate the entire region＇s future prospects. Previously, East Asia has not been overly successful at generating any knowledge or understanding of its own identity. It is therefore necessary to conduct an inquiry into the concept of East Asia. The complexity of knowledge about East Asia should be clarified. This paper interprets the concept of East Asia in past centuries, explains how people conceptualized East Asia in the broader context of the continent and evaluates its characteristic features.
