Civilization State

A Civilization State is a term that is often used to describe a state that encompasses an entire civilization.
Etymology
The idea of a Civilization State is often presented as an alternative to the more familiar European notion of Nation State
Examples of Civilization States
* Roman Empire was the state that encompassed the Western Civilization
* Mauryan Empire was the state that encompassed the Hindu Civilization
* People's Republic of China is the state that encompasses the Chinese Civilization
Chinese Civilization
It has been argued that, currently, the People's Republic of China is the only state that can be considered to be a Civilization State. Similar arguments have been made by author Martin Jacques in his book When China Rules the World.
Such arguments have also been presented in the China Daily, which is the official newspaper of the Chinese government.
Quotes
Some notable quotes which explain the concept of Civilization State are:
Within a civilization-state, unity is extremely important, but unity does not mean uniformity.
Westerners also have trouble understanding the role of the state in China, and miss the fact that the central government is fundamentally very competent.
Compared to Western democracies, he said, China's government "enjoys more respect even though not a single vote is cast. The Chinese state is seen as the guardian and custodian of civilization.
It is crucial to understand, for example, that China views itself not as a nation-state, he said, but as a civilization-state that dates from the 221 B.C. victory of the Qin over Eastern China. This is the longest continually existing polity in the world. The civilization is based on several key principles, including the primacy of the family, Confucian values, ancestral worship and an ideographic language system. Keenly familiar with their history, ordinary people feel comfortable quoting ancient philosophers.

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