One image that's helped me understand China a bit better lately is this map, which accompanies this article, one of the clearest generalizations of Chinese history and politics that I've read while here. A good summary can be found on Strange Maps, one of the Best Websites Ever if you're a map geek like me.
To summarize the summary (oh, 'cmon - click and read the goldarn thing...), China has been, until very recently, quite isolated from the rest of the world, and big enough that it can choose to stay that way if it wishes. Like all generalizations, it should be taken with a grain of salt, but it does explain a lot of things that I'd previously found puzzling. Happy reading!
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