This history does not refer to the history of a specific dynasty, but a comprehensive cognition of thousands of years, including history, living habits, ways of thinking and so on.
Some people think that history is not important. It seems that I don't study history and it doesn't affect my life or thoughts. That's because everyone around you knows history, and you live in an environment full of history. Although you don't learn, you are influenced by it invisibly.
There is a China who grew up in a foreign country. He studied English and received an English education. If he had no education in China, no history in China and no family atmosphere in China, after two or three generations, do you think his descendants would be British or China? Is China or Britain highly recognized by his descendants?
The answer is obvious.
This is the role and effect of studying history.
Similarly, an Englishman lived in China since childhood, studied Chinese, received education in China and studied the history of China. Do you think that after several generations, his recognition of China or Britain is high?
History is not only recorded in books, such as what happened in a certain year, how many emperors there were, and what happened specifically. This is a historical event, only a small part of the broad history. True history is passed down from generation to generation and integrated into our lives. This is the way we think and look at the world.
I am from Taizhou, and you are from Langzhong. We are far apart, one in the southeast and the other in the southwest of the motherland. We met in Shanghai. I don't even know where Langzhong is. We didn't feel strange when we met, because we both came from China, and this is the similarity. In the age of chatting, we found that we still have the same surname, so we became closer. Maybe we were a family 500 years ago.
If I am from Yunnan and you are from Laos, I may find many similarities and have a good chat, but I always feel that I am not from my own family, but an outsider.
This is history.
History always allows us to find similarities and roots, because we are all descendants of the Chinese people. Although we are scattered all over the country with different dialects, living habits and diets, this does not prevent us from being a family.
If history is divided, they will only receive local education, and their sense of identity with the whole country will fade. After several generations, they will feel that their roots have ended in their area and have not gone up. When the regional cognition is greater than the national cognition, they will put the place above the country, so their actions and analysis will be inverted, which is actually a split.
Five thousand years in China are our roots, and these five thousand years are history. This root can't be broken under any circumstances!