ABSTRACT
The universal origins of the desire to achieve the common good and general welfare of humanity developed into different versions of political philosophy and democracy in the West and under the Grand Union in China. The Lancang hydropower development demonstrates the existence of an institutional framework of governance of the Grand Union, which has a positive impact on the public while also responding and mitigating the negative impacts on the environment and resettled population generated as a result. Governance includes formal rules like laws and bureaucracy, and soft institutions like culture and religion. Moreover, the demand for self-governance from the regions challenges the legitimacy of the state representing tian. Sociocultural changes play an enormous role in the conceptualization and governance of the commons. The society of tianxia is infinite and flexible, and capable of incorporating other cultures and cultural elements.
