China’s Deep-Rooted Land-Based Identity

Many Western analysts tend to interpret China's rise through the lens of inevitable conflict, often invoking the concept of the Thucydides Trap—a theory suggesting that a rising power challenging the status quo is almost destined for war. Yet, this perspective profoundly underestimates the richness of China’s unique historical and cultural fabric, which has been meticulously shaped over thousands of years by its geographical realities. Unlike Western empires such as Britain or Spain, which expanded across oceans to build vast overseas empires, China’s civilization was primarily land-bound, with its identity tightly intertwined with its fertile interior. Take, for example, the construction of the Great Wall—not just a military barrier but a symbol of China's core focus on defending its heartland from northern nomadic incursions, like those from the Mongols and the Xiongnu. This geographic and ecological environment fostered a culture that highly values stability, territorial integrity, and resilience, rather than aggressive expansion. These deeply ingrained values continue to influence China’s policies and behavior today. Recognizing that China’s worldview is rooted in land, ecology, and historical self-sufficiency rather than conquest is essential; otherwise, Western narratives risk simplistically projecting fears of conflict onto a civilization whose identity and actions are fundamentally shaped by geography and history.