We often hear about China's rise as an economic giant, yet military veterans describe a dead country in its rural villages. This episode explores the tension between the public narrative of growth and the internal structural vulnerabilities of the Chinese state.

Major General Rajiv Narayanan joins the show to provide a comprehensive look at China’s history, from the Mongol conquests of Kublai Khan to the modern Communist Party. We discuss why the Century of Humiliation still dictates their view of the world as a place where they must either dominate or be dominated.

• The philosophy of All Under the Sun and how it influences China’s view of foreign nations as barbarians.
• Historical evidence of India as a land of wisdom that provided China with its early religious and martial frameworks.
• The systemic use of concentra ...