Abstract: The idea of national unification has had a profound impact on ancient and modern China. It is the practical experience and historical reflection of the political life of the community for the Chinese nation, and also a key source of legitimacy for political order. Structurally, the consciousness of unification or community encompasses three paradigms: meaning, practice, and aesthetics. The rigid practice, through the internal transformation of poetry and music education, is like a powerful vortex that draws modern Yunnan scholars into the common cultural memory of the Chinese nation, and You Yunlong's book Ding An Poetry Criticism is a classic aesthetic sample. It is worth noting that poetic discourse does not reflect a “static” view of poetic knowledge, but rather points to moral and political practice “after knowledge.” On the one hand, the book presents a poetic expression of national unification derived from the common cultural memory of the Chinese nation and, on the other hand, it demonstrates that political order is a natural result of ethical and moral individuals seeking goodness.

Key words: national unification, poetics, Ding An Poetry Criticism, Zong Song