Chinese Academy of History recently published 2021 Annual Frontier Report of History Report in China. Professor Hou Jianxin’s article “The Middle Ages and Meta-Rules of European Civilization” (Published on Historical Research, No. 3, 2020) won Top Ten Outstanding Historical Articles in 2020.

The Middle Ages and Meta-Rules of European Civilization was reprinted by China Social Science Excellence (World History,No.10, 2020), on which it became one of the most popular articles. It was also reprinted by China University Academic Abstracts (No. 5, 2020).

Abstract of the Article

Over several hundred years of cultural interaction and integration in the Middle Ages, European civilization finally took shape through the adopting and reforming of different cultural elements. Its formation was not marked by “Western Science and Technology” but “meta-rules”. There is a broad social consensus of Meta-rules which are clearly defined and rooted in natural rights — namely, rights to property, rights to consent, rights to procedure justice, rights to self-defense and rights to life. Meta-rules are deep and primordial rule systems, or rules that determine other rules. They are inalienable rights and negative freedom rights, but affect the rights of positive law, and thus profoundly affect the direction of European society. These meta-rules form their own system, lay the foundation for Western civilization, and shape the West to what it is.