Where is "Zhongzhou": Historical and Conceptual Changes from the 10th to 13th Centuries

Scholar Jiang Mei's historical research on the evolution of the concept of "Zhongzhou" (Central Plains) from the 10th to the 13th century explores the complex changes in China's historical consciousness and political-geographical identity during this period.

Starting from the history of ideas, this book focuses on how scholars during the Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties reconstructed the concepts of "China" and "Tianxia" (all under heaven). It reveals how the "Tianxia-China" perspective was reactivated and given new meanings amidst dramatic changes. Song dynasty scholars upheld orthodoxy through the distinction between "Hua" (Chinese) and "Yi" (barbarian), while "Zhongzhou scholars" during the Jin-Yuan transition embraced the ideal of "public ownership of Tianxia," imbuing "China" with cultural and spiritual connotations. In a tumultuous era of "barbarian-Hua dislocation," the question "Where is Zhongzhou?" prompted a revitalization of the "grand unification" (dayitong) concept. This transformed the Yuan dynasty's unification from mere conquest into a new historical chapter of "integrating Tianxia into China," laying the ideological foundation and integration logic for a multi-ethnic China.