It is astounding that many now think that the 21st century will bring a Chinese empire, and that this empire will somehow take the form of the old British or current American empire.
For to think so is to be blatantly unaware of China's history and culture. I think those who believe that we are somehow facing a Chinese empire would do well to reach out beyond Sun Tzu's 'The art of War', get out of the management section of the bookstore, and reach out for one of the four classics of Chinese literature - 'The Three Kingdoms'.
I am about half way through 'The Three Kingdoms' and while it is a novel on many levels, including ancient strategems for war and deception, it is, in my view, essentially a view of what good government entails.
The book opens with a union between three brothers, signed in a peach garden. Three brothers of very different characteristics, but eventually making up one ruler.
There is Liu Bei Xuande, the oldest and wisest brother. He represents wisdom and patience in the face of adversity. The second brother is Guan Yunchang, a powerful protector of justice and an example of loyalty. The third is Zhang Fei, representing what in Jungian terms can only be described as the 'wild man'. Hairy, with a rough sort of cleverness he is prone to drunkennes and impulse action.
What the three brothers want to restore is the 'mandate of heaven', which can be seen superficially as 'the rule of the emperor' but can more accurately be viewed as the ideal of political and social harmony that ensures ongoing peace and prosperity. At the same time, in the way the story unfolds it is made implicitly clear that this vision is utopian.
In fact, the only times when it can be said to be realised throughout the entire book is at the beginning, where the book chronicles the rapid descent from utopia into chaos, and at the end, where some sort of utopia is painfully restored.
From my reading up to this point, I think there are a few interesting points to note.
1. Unlike Western empires, the Chinese empire, if it ever eventuates, will not be built on an idea, it will be built on an ideal of government. This difference is much more important than would appear at first sight. For each driving force 'building empire' brings a shadow in its wake.
The British empire can be said to be built on the ideal of parliament - the British have introduced British style parliaments in almost each and every colony. This brought in its wake wholesale suppression of indigenous cultures and has turned (over time) most British colonies into the same sort of class-based society that is present in the UK.
In contrast, the American empire is built on the idea of global free trade, and its particular dark secret has been the upsurge in rampant greed that characterises a lot of modern multinational corporations.
2. Similarly, an empire can be seen as driven by a social and economic utopia. For the British empire, this utopia was democracy, for the American empire, it is wealth.
In contrast, if the Three Kingdoms provides a guide to Chinese empire, its ambitions would seem to be lower, although even then it will have dark sides uniquely its own.
