Empire of Dragons and Eagles
About This Novel
When the story begins, China was still in the Bronze Age. Compared with the Mediterranean area that entered the Iron Age, it was like China and the West in the 19th century. During the Warring States Period, China caught up, and then the Qin and Han Dynasties and the Roman Empire kept pace with each other, each achieving four hundred years of glory. At that time, about half of human society was under the control of the two empires. Things are hard to come by, and the empires that dominated the east and west were eventually defeated by the meager enemies from the northern Xinjiang. Their ability to withstand external aggression is exhausted by internal repression, corruption and poor governance. Later, the Chinese Empire was repeatedly reborn and expanded, while the Roman Empire was irrevocably divided. However, the dream of European reunification has never faded: it is manifested in the declarations of the Pope and the "Holy Roman Emperor"; it is carried by Napoleon's eagle; it has become the inherent ambition of the European Union - today's refugee flow is surging, where will the EU countries go? Professor Ouyang Yingzhi used the rise and fall of the Qin, Han and Roman Empires as clues to comprehensively explore the similarities and differences in the politics, economy, military, ethnicity, ideas and customs of the two empires. He especially emphasized the significant impact of the differences on the appearance of the Eastern and Western worlds, and summarized the historical lessons and governance of great powers. The text of the book is plain and logical, taking into account both narrative and commentary; it weighs the relative strengths and weaknesses of Eastern and Western empires, re-examines traditional historical theories, and points out overlooked factors to explain historical mysteries. The dragon is one of the four traditional spirits in China and later became the exclusive symbol of imperial power; the eagle is the symbol of the Roman Legion and later became the symbol of Roman hegemony. The dragon and eagle symbolize the style of power and rule in the Qin, Han and Roman empires, which has lasted for a long time. When the rising New China faces the US Empire, which is known as the "New Rome", the traditional style can still be seen in today's world situation. How should Chinese people today understand the cooperation and conflict between China and the United States?
What Readers Think
Rating
Community(0)
Rating
Community(0)
