論者在從事以社會科學理論適用於中國作為研究對象的同時，必須回到「中國」自身是否可以滿足理論前提。政治科學理論的知識前提是以國家作為研究對象，此前提自西發利亞條約所創之體系成立迄今，已具備了不証自明的某種類科學性質。本文目的在反對有關民族國家之假設所帶有的目的論，探討政治敘事與政治現實間之關係，並以日本學者濱下武志的中國研究成果為據，透過對中國作為朝貢體秩序的省思，建議從事中國研究之論者另一個認識中國的途徑，進而回溯中國作為今日國家概念前，並非如政治科學所言是一種國家治理關係。

When so-called China Study is being conducted, the first thing ever comes into consideration ought to be whether “China” is a nation-state or not. It seems self-evident in political science nowadays because we all act on the premise that has been affirmed ever since the establishment of modern Westphalian System. All fields of China study root in the same hypothesis which is statism. This essay does not tend to resolve the assumption which has still been taken by most IR theorists but to present another possible epistemology when facing China and to question the idea of applying oneness when researching.