Talk:Chinese (Age of Empires II)/@comment-66.69.107.242-20180719004605/@comment-31256631-20181206210248

Honestly, Confucianism takes a similar role in China as religion does in most other societies. It forms the foundation of educations and social values, serves as an anchor for ethics but also a harbinger of stagnation. Its traits are not unique to China. What the Chinese did have for empire building was: - Cultural Unity: at least once Qin Shihuang killed all the scholars who disagreed with him. Sure, the 'Han' culture differs from province to province, but their core values remain very similar. - National Focus: on internal economic development (especially on infrastructure), rather than expansion or conquest. The role model of all Chinese rulers is "Yu the Engineer". Find me another civilization like that. - Farmable Land: lots of fertile land between the two river valleys in the area known as the "Central Plains" - Geography: surrounded by oceans to the east, deserts to the north/NW, himalaya mountains to the west, and rainforests to the south. - Meritocratic Tradition: the Imperial Examination System gave China a massive pool of bureaucrats to keep the empire running, something only the Persians could match until the modern age.