中国古代很强大？为什么不去征服世界，那是因为中国从不像野蛮的西方人一样，自己强大了就去殖民和掠夺别人。

在汉人统治中国的这些朝代里，从来没有以统治世界为己任，而是以天下大同为己任。即使有实力走出去，也是为了去交流和合作，比如张骞出使西域、郑和下西洋，都不是去杀戮和占领。

郑和下西洋时期，中国的商船比西方的战舰都大，把他们吓坏了，后来才知道他们来是为了做生意，而不是打仗……

水木然认为：国家与国家的竞争，最开始靠自然环境，中国自古水土丰饶，才诞生了文明的国度；后来靠制度，西方率先发生了资产阶级革命，然后诞生了现代社会制度和体系；未来靠什么？靠文明！

中国只要传统文化在复兴，就会再次站到世界舞台中央！

下面这些是英国网友的交流，来自网络，仅供大家娱乐：

翻译：龙腾网 翻译：沙拉

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译文简介:老实说我对古老的中国并不是很了解，所以有可能是当时条件限制了他们探索舰队开发能力的建立。但是他们好像比其他国家更早开发了很多事物，当时其他国家都还在浑浑噩噩的时期，中国已经有了伟大的帝国，比罗马帝国和其他国家都更早。

　　Why didn’’t China dominate the globe?

　　

　　To be frank I don’’t know much about Ancient China, so maybe there were factors limiting their ability to set up exploration fleets. But it seems like they invented a lot of things long before other nations, when others were still in mud huts, these guys had great Empires, before the Romans and all that.

　　

　　So why is it they don’’t have territories in Europe, Africa, America etc? Britain, France etc seemed to go all over the world, claiming areas of land as their own. Hell we took over the whole of North America.

　　

　　They had ships long before us, thousands of years. Why didn’’t they expand like we did and lay claim to far away nations, beat back the indigenous population as we did.

　　

　　We have random little islands in the Far east, or at least did at some point, independence wars and all that. But I don’’t see random little islands in the West having a Chinese population.

　　

　　为什么中国不统治世界？

　　

　　老实说我对古老的中国并不是很了解，所以有可能是当时条件限制了他们探索舰队开发能力的建立。但是他们好像比其他国家更早开发了很多事物，当时其他国家都还在浑浑噩噩的时期，中国已经有了伟大的帝国，比罗马帝国和其他国家都更早。

　　

　　所以为什么中国在欧洲，非洲，美国等都没有领土呢？英国，法国等好像都到过世界各个地方，并宣称这些地方的岛屿是属于他们的。我们占领了整个南美。中国比我们早几千年就有船只。为什么他们不像我们这样扩张，对那些远在天边的岛屿宣称自己的领土权呢，像我们那样打败那些原来的土著居民？

　　

　　我们占领了远东的一些小岛屿，或者至少的某种程度上，独立战争和其它所有的。但是我根本就看不到西方的一些小岛屿被中国人占领。

　　

　　I don’’t know whether or not they had the means to expand way back when others didn’’t, but if they did have the means and didn’’t utilize them, I’’m assuming that they believed in "live and let live" rather than "walk all over those worse off than you and then whine, moan when they bite back."

　　

　　我不知道如果让中国是否有重新进行扩张之路的意图，而其它国家不能扩张，但如果他们有这个意图，而且没有利用起来。我认为这是因为他们相信“待人宽容，和平共处”，最新神仙道SF，而不是“趁人之危”。

　　their explorers were orderd not to explore anymore. they were never a match for europe anyway.

　　

　　他们的探险者被命令不能再进行任何探险，他们永远不再是欧洲的对手了。

　　

　　Traditionally less expansionistic than the European nations.

　　

　　传统上来说是因为中国的扩张主义者比欧洲国家少。

　　China had plenty of land in the first place, and only the asiatic hordes expanded into Europe. Really, just like Russia, there were few factors which would have pushed China to expand overseas.

　　

　　一开始中国有大量的土地，而且只有亚洲游牧族扩张到了欧洲地区。事实上，就像俄罗斯，只有一小部分因素可以驱使中国进行领土扩张。

　　

　　They’’re too busy making shoes for Nike.

　　

　　他们都在给Nike制造鞋子，太忙了。

　　It is actually all about Tea. They were content with drinking Tea, so unlike Britain who in the search for a material to keep wine and thus developed glass, they were left behind on the technology front. Along with glass for wine came things like windows, microscopes, glasses etc. which really helped us advance in technology.

　　It meant people could wear glasses to correct their vision when they age, so could read for a longer period of their lives than otherwise possible. This then enabled them to study longer, develop theories and technologies, pass it on and just allowed us to progress into new technologies.

　　If China had wanted to drink wine more than tea, they would have developed technologies themselves and by now would have taken over the world. So, it’’s all down to Tea. Thank you QI

　　

　　其实这都是因为茶。他们很喜欢喝茶，所以就不像英国人那样寻找各种材料来储存酒，最终发明了玻璃，中国人在科技面前远远落后。在发明了玻璃存储酒之后又发明了例如玻璃，显微镜，眼镜等，这些确实帮助我们在科技方面前进了一大步。

　　这就意味着人们在年老之后，可以带着眼镜矫正视力，可以在生命中看到更远距离的东西。这就使得他们可以学习更长时间，发展各种理论和科技，传给下一代，让我们不断的跨入新科技时代。

　　如果当初中国更想喝酒而不是茶就好了，他们就可以自己发明各种科技，现在他们就可以占领整个世界。所以，这都是因为茶。谢谢。

　　

　　Was not Chinese, he was the emperor of the Mongol Empire.

　　

　　不是中国人，他是蒙古帝国皇帝。

　　

　　What I meant was that because of the Mongols defeating and conquering them it obviously stopped them from, you know, doing anything.

　　And it actually seems it was their tea cups which stopped them.

　　

　　我的意思是因为蒙古国战胜了，胜果累累，阻止了他们继续扩张。

　　当然这看起来就好像是他们的茶杯阻碍了他们前进的道路。

　　I see, I thought you were implying that China dominated most of Asia because of old Genghis. The empire only lasted 150 odd years, China could’’ve and should’’ve expanded before Christ was even born, then again they were being raided day in day out

　　

　　我明白了，我想你的意思是中国是因为成吉思汗占领了大部分亚洲国家。这个王国只持续了150年，中国可以也应该在公元前进行扩张，然后他们又日复一日的被袭击。

　　

　　I’’m no expert, but maybe after the civil wars between the dynasties they simply were content to be one nation. Also maybe the Himalayas stopped them geographically, or simply money!

　　

　　我不是一个专家，但也许在朝代之间的南美战争之后，他们仅仅只是希望拥有一个完整的国家。同时也许喜马拉雅山在地理上阻碍了他们，也许仅仅是金钱的问题！

　　

　　I wouldn’’t call HK a random little island.

　　China wasn’’t always united. It took a long time and much fighting for unification. China is/was already huge so by land area may compare to UK empire? Or no? I don’’t know the scale here. UK is small. China invented gunpowder but missed guns!

　　

　　我不会将香港称作是一个游离的小岛屿。

　　中国一直以来都不统一。中国耗费了很长时间，很多战争争取统一。中国一直都很大，中国的土地面积可以跟英国不列颠王国相比。也许不可以，我不知道中国的规模。英国很小。中国发明了火药却失去了枪！

　　Look up Zheng He and maritime expeditions during the Ming Dynasty

　　

　　看看明朝时候的郑和下西洋和海事探险。

　　

　　If you look at China’’s history, it follows of cycles of several small kingdoms eventually merging into a united china only for it to fracture into smaller kingdoms at a later stage. China never had the political stability to occupy itself with more than it’’s own house.

　　

　　如果你看看中国的历史，那就是一幅七个小国家最终合并称一个中国的过程，后来中国又分裂称了一个个小国家。中国内部的政治稳定都没办法处理好。

　　

　　In a word, arrogance stopped the ancient China from expanding. Growing up in this culture and being a gut who has an intense interest in it, I’’d say people, in the old times, rarely had the motivition to colonise. In their minds, this country was perfect enough.. Plus, not like the Christians, they believed that if other countries were not following China’’s steps, it would be their loss. Then, it turned out they were wrong, as it happened in the 19th century.

　　Ps: I do like this reply:

　　They’’re too busy making shoes for Nike.

　　

　　总之，自大阻碍了古老中国的扩张脚步。在这种文化中成长为一个让人感兴趣的地方，我只想说人们啊，在古代，根本很少有殖民的动机，在他们的脑海中，这个国家已经是很完美的了。另外，不像基督教徒那样，他们认为如果其他国家不跟随他们的脚步，这就是他们的损失。然后，事实证明他们是错误的，因为19世纪时就证明过了。

　　

　　PS:我喜欢这个回答：