In a world grown increasingly smaller, China nonetheless seems to remain as most of us have always seen it: a land far away and exotic, suggestive of secrets and mysteries, its history and thoughts veiled from most Westerners.
Yet behind that veil lies one of the most amazing civilizations the world has ever known.
In fact, evidence argues that for the greater part of its 5,000-year history, China has been the largest, most populous, wealthiest, and mightiest nation on Earth.