The Great Unity () is a Chinese vision of the world explicitly based on the past period of "three dynasties" as understood by the Confucian tradition. In this ideal historical model, everyone and everything was at peace and this model must be restored. It is found in classical Chinese philosophy as a model based on the past but beginning with Kang Youwei (1858 – 1927) it was often combined with utopian ideas.
History
The notion of the "Great Unity" appeared in the "Lǐyùn" (禮運) chapter of the Book of Rites, one of the Confucian Chinese classics. According to it, the society in Great Unity was ruled by the public, where the people elected men of virtue and ability to administer, and valued trust and amity. People did not only love their own parents and children, but others as well. People also secured the living of the elderly until their ends, let the adults be of use to the society, and helped the young grow. Those who were widowed, orphaned, childless, handicapped and diseased were all taken care of. Men took their responsibilities and women had their homes. People disliked seeing resources being wasted but did not seek to possess them; they wanted to exert their strength but did not do it for their own benefit. Therefore, selfish thoughts were dismissed, people refrained from stealing and robbery, and the outer doors remained open.
The first true "Great Unity" state in Chinese History begins with the Qin dynasty. Qin Shi Huang implemented a series of standardization measures to unify the country's transportation, language, currency, weights, and measures. Subsequent dynasties adopted this institutional framework with their own changes. With the "Great Unity" ideology aligned with the centralized system implemented by dynasties, it is said that the ideology was built after this "Great Unity" state structure.
The concept was used by Kang Youwei in his visionary utopian treatise, The Book of Great Unity (). He also described "moderate prosperity" as the stage before the Great Unity.
The Great Unity is also often mentioned in the writings of Sun Yat-sen and is included in his lyrics of the National Anthem of the Republic of China, currently in official use in Taiwan.
This ideology can be reflected in the following examples, each from a national anthem of the Republic of China:
- (literal translation: "Three Principles of the People, the aim of us (The Kuomintang), to build the Republic, to advance into Great Unity.") - National Anthem of the Republic of China
- (literal translation: "Never abandon in desperation, nor being complacent with achievement; Glorify our nation and work promoting Great Unity.") - National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China
The concept was invoked in prominent occasions several times by Mao Zedong, including in his address On the People's Democratic Dictatorship in 1949, as the Communist Party prepared to assume control throughout mainland China. Mao said the CCP would create "conditions where classes, state power and political parties will die out very naturally" and that "China can develop steadily, under the leadership of the working class and the Communist Party, from an agricultural into an industrial country, and from a new-democratic into a socialist and communist society, [and then] can abolish classes and realize Great Unity".
Philosophical context
The concept of "Great Unity" originates from early Chinese philosophical debates on how to unify a society marked by division and conflict, particularly during the Warring States period. In the Book of Rites, the "Lǐyùn" (禮運) chapter presents datong as an ideal social and political order in which "the world is shared by all" (天下为公).
Scholars have noted that the idea of datong is closely related to the broader concept of tong (同), often translated as "unity" or "togetherness." However, recent interpretations suggest that tong more precisely refers to the process by which differences are brought into alignment or coordination, rather than eliminated entirely.
See also
- Harmonious Society
- Moderately prosperous society
- Great Peace (Baháʼí)
- Omega Point