The"Zhen-Xia"Identity Order in Qin Law and the Vassal States Subordination—A concurrent analysis of the"admonishing with etiquette"approach included in Liu Jing's strategy of"making peace by marriage"
Since the time of Three Dynasties,the Huaxia(Han Chinese)had formed a tradition of establishing political subordination with vassal alien states through matrimonial alliance.The Qin people,who resided in Xirong(Western barbarian area),were also in-fluenced by this concept.In their administration of Bashu and other vassal states,they adopted similar practices,aiming to achieve the goal of civilizing the barbarians into Qin by shaping the identity order of"Zhen"(meaning the genuine or authentic)and"Xia"(the civilized),Later,also based on this concept,Liu Jing,proposed a strategy of making peace through marital alliance with the Hun peo-ple.He was fully aware of the differences in political systems and social cultures between the Han and the Hun,so he particularly em-phasized the need"to counsel or enlighten the Hun with euphemism and etiquette"in order to instill in them the concept of political subordination and patrilineal hierarchical order.Seen over the long term,the construction of"Zhen-Xia"identities in Qin law and Liu Jing's policy of marriage alliance both originated from the Huaxia cultural awareness of"affection for kin"and"reverence for the dig-nified"and represented innovative practices of these values under new circumstances.Particularly remarkable,Liu Jing's approach not only played a crucial role in integrating the Hun into the Huaxia world order but also became a new model for subsequent dynasties in dealing with border issues.
"Zhen-Xia"identityvassal state subordinationmaking peace by marriageto admonish with etiquette