The Roman Empire has given speculative fiction authors plenty of fodder for alternate history tales ... the still relatively simple technology of China and Japan. A final, less depressing ...

Ancient China began as a group of isolated communities during the Stone Age and eventually grew into a formidable empire.

They see China as a great power. They know about its history as a great power and as an empire, and they believe firmly that the country should retake its rightful place in the world order.