Mention China and people think of the Great Wall, tofu, kung fu, and of course, Confucius. They might also think of the skyscrapers in Beijing and Shanghai, and the unforgettable 2008 Olympics which heralded China’s rise as a great nation. People started to believe that China had farewelled forever the era of humiliation and tragedy, that China has truly become rich and powerful. And not just in terms of military might—China now has trillions of dollars in foreign exchange reserves and is destined to become the centre of the world.