It's not necessarily unique, however. While European civilisation is more fragmented by nationalism, by comparison there's clear lineage through religion, law,

It's not necessarily unique, however. While European civilisation is more fragmented by nationalism, by comparison there's clear lineage through religion, law, culture, etc. Much like China's lineage was really kick-started by the Han, Europe still owes much to Rome. If you get right down to detail then sure, there's a difference in the character of the cultural journey, but I think the principle is similar.