Now what is extraordinary about this is, what gives China its sense of being China, what gives the Chinese the sense of what it is to be Chinese, comes not from the last hundred years, not from the nation-state period, which is what happened in the West, but from the period, if you like, of the civilization-state.
Det, der er specielt ved dette, er, at det, der giver Kina dets fornemmelse af at være Kina, det, der giver kineserne fornemmelsen af, hvordan det er, at være kineser, ikke kommer fra de sidste hundrede år, ikke fra nationalstatsperioden, hvilket er, hvad der skete i Vesten, men fra perioden, om man vil, af civilisationsstaten.