How the Idea of Tianxia Can Help Us to Reimagine the Global Order

With the ascent of China on the global stage, traditional Chinese thoughts, particularly Confucianism, have experienced a resurgence. Over the past two decades, the concept of “Tianxia” (All Under Heaven) has garnered significant interest. This research delves into the potential contributions of Tianxia to contemporary political thought, with a focus on normative theory. It examines whether this concept can aid in mitigating ultranationalism in our globalized era and foster a novel global perspective that encourages peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and shared progress among nations. The presentation is structured into two main sections. The first section offers a critical examination of recent discussions surrounding Tianxia, highlighting its contemporary relevance as intellectual inspirations while acknowledging its inherent limitations. The second section deals with the challenges posed by cultural diversity in establishing foundational norms for a post-hegemonic world order. It emphasizes the need for a new global vision that transcends both the Sinocentrism associated with Tianxia and the Eurocentrism prevalent in traditional cosmopolitanism, and makes an argument in advocating for a new cosmopolitanism centered around the concept of “transcultural universality.”

Liu Qing is the Zijiang Distinguished Professor at East China Normal University and currently visiting scholar at the Harvard-Yenching Institute (2023-24). He received his Ph.D. degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota. His main research interests lie in intellectual history, political philosophy and world politics. His publications include: Lectures on Modern Western Thought (2021), Great Reversal: Intellectual Trends in the West since 2000 (2021), The Myth of Chineseness (2013) and The Undetermined Moment: Modernity and Western Thought (2006). Liu Qing has received fellowships from the MacArthur Foundation (1994-95)‚ American Social Science Research Council (Summer 1996), the Fulbright Scholar Program (2007-08), and the Program for New Century Excellent Talents of the Chinese Ministry of Education (2008).

Sponsor(s): Center for Chinese Studies, Asia Pacific Center