Historical Appraisal on Liu Yuan's Recognition of Han Dynasty Rulers as Both His Ancestors and the Foundation of His State

During the Sixteen-country Period which featured the merging of all nationalities in northern China,Liu Yuan's recognition of Han dynasty rulers as both his ancestors and the foundation of his state,without any doubt,played a particular role in the historical period of his time.Liu's way of doing things in the above-mentioned,in certain degree,helped break away the ideology of nationalities having different hearts of his time,ease the great tensions existing between the Han majority and northern nomadic minorities and promote the merging together of different nationalities in northern China,which not only initiated the rulers of the sixteen nations' trying to seek roots from the former Han nationality rulers as their forefathers,but,at the same time,offered an example and reference of the patriarchal clan system for the later age.Liu Yuan's inheriting the causes of the ancestors,a slogan to build up his kingdom,suited the Confucianists' consciousness of continuing their unique cultural traditions and people's social psychology of missing the peace and prosperity of the former Han dynasty in the late Jin dynasty period,which not only was beneficial to the new rulers' righteous claim of their political status but also marked the rulers' propaganda campaign of seeking the ancient righteous roots of former Han rulers against the Jin dynasty rulers.Liu's political view of no eternal emperors,equality between Han nationality and other minorities and only righteous rulers having the rights to greatly contributed to the theoretical dedication which broke through the limit of ancient Han rulers' vision and insight,which not only provided the ideological weapons for the nomadic minority regimes' rule in China's political platform of later times but also exerted a positive influence on hindering the occurrence of tyranny regimes in China's Sixteen-country Period.