Dans quelle mesure la Chine était-elle un pays unifié dans la première période impériale (des Qin au Tang) ?

To many extents, China could be considered as a dramatically diverse country. First of all, while its physical boundaries changed throughout its history, its territory remained constantly perceived as a juxtaposition of contrasting environments. Moreover, from the 1950s, chinese scholars and politicians have especially emphasized China's ethnic and cultural diversity . Indeed, despite the political purpose of such claim, it is clear that China was and remains a multiethnical country inhabited by various minorities. In addition, as Hansen titled her book, China can be considered as an "open empire" which had different relationships with the outside world. Developing a tremendous network of trade routes known as the "Silk Road", this country received various kinds of influences which could have impeded the construction of a chinese identity during the early imperial period. Barbarian invasions coming from the north even threatened the territorial unity of China . For instance, in the middle of the 6th century, the separation between Northern and Southern China was perceived as the norm and chinese people did not anymore think of unity at that time.

However, despite many episodes of disunity, China did not disappear. Therefore, throughout this essay, I will attempt to show that although many forces contributed to divide the country, various actors succeeded to create a unified chinese empire during the early imperial period.