The first period of Pax Sinica came into being during the
Han dynasty of China.[7] Domestically, the power of the
emperor was consolidated following the devastation of the
feudal system.[8] The
Rule of Wen and Jing (文景之治) and the
Rule of Ming and Zhang (明章之治) were periods of societal stability and economic prosperity. Externally, the Han dynasty neutralized the threat posed by the nomadic
Xiongnu following a series of wars.[9] The boundaries of China were extended into what is modern-day western
Xinjiang,
South Korea (near modern
Seoul), and
Vietnam (around modern
Huế).[10] The
Silk Road emerged as a major route that connected the East and the West after the Han diplomat
Zhang Qian established contact with the numerous Central Asian tribes and states, thus facilitating commerce and cultural exchanges.[11]
The
Tang dynasty was one of the
golden ages in Chinese history and presided over another period of Pax Sinica.[13] The Tang capital,
Chang'an, was a major economic and cultural hub, and was the world's largest urban settlement at the time.[14] The Silk Road facilitated economic and cultural exchanges between China and the outside world, with
Persians and
Sogdians among those who benefited the most from such exchanges with China.[13] In the north, the
First Turkic Khaganate was defeated and annexed;[15] in the west, the Tang dynasty extended its control as far as modern-day
Afghanistan and the
Aral Sea;[16][17] in the east, Tang control reached
Sakhalin.[17] During its peak, the Tang dynasty maintained hegemony over 72 tributary states.[18] During this period,
Chinese culture was revitalized and became more diverse and cosmopolitan.[13] The amount of interaction between China and Japan increased; Chinese influence on Japanese culture and politics became more prominent since the Tang dynasty.[19]
The
Qing dynasty of China heralded another period of Pax Sinica.[26] At its peak, it ruled over the fourth largest empire territorially, constituting 9.87 per cent of the world's total land area.[27] The
High Qing era was a period of sustained peace, economic prosperity and territorial expansion.[28] The multicultural and multiethnic nature of the Qing dynasty was fundamental to the subsequent formation of the modern nationalist concept of Zhonghua minzu. As the rulers of the Qing dynasty were ethnic
Manchu, this period of peace is also sometimes known as "Pax Manjurica".[29][30][31]
^Lee, Soyoung; Kim, JaHyun; Hong, Sunpyo; Chang, Chin-Sung (2009). Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400-1600. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p.
62. ming dynasty korean culture.
KIM, S.S, China's Pacific Policy: Reconciling the Irreconcilable, International Journal, 1994.
Kueh, Y.Y. (2012). Pax Sinica: Geopolitics and Economics of China's Ascendance
TERMINSKI, Bogumil, (2010), The Evolution of the Concept of Perpetual Peace in the History of Political-Legal Thought, Perspectivas Internacionales, vol. 10: 277–291.
YEOH, Kok Kheng, (2009), Towards Pax Sinica?: China's rise and transformation : impacts and implications, University of Malaya.
ZHANG, Yongjin, (2001), System, empire and state in Chinese international relations, Review of International Studies, vol. 27: 43–63.