Abstract
As Julio Ceballos writes in The Star Calibrator, returning to China always means returning to a different place. China is impossible to fully encompass. Not merely because of its size, its population, or its history—although all of these factors matter. Rather, China seems to unfold upon itself, much as an apparently dead-end alley suddenly opens onto an entire city teeming with life and activity.
The texts that follow do not seek to capture China in its entirety. Their aim, instead, is to situate China within a broader context and to project its presence onto the world from multiple perspectives. The Middle Kingdom does not rely solely on its gravitational pull; it also extends its reach through technological and economic power, diplomatic engagement, the hard power of its modernized People’s Liberation Army, and the soft power of its creativity.
We have deliberately avoided introducing China through a general overview chapter. China requires no introduction. Nor can it, as noted above, be adequately encompassed within a single chapter.
