I will admit here that about eight years ago I did a deep dive into China's history as I attempted to write a book on Chinese Literati art. China has often been underrated in its history, but one thing has remained constant: It has a reverence for tradition. It has a sense of itself as being a superior civilization because of its long and accomplished history. That Xi should look to a general from the Song Dynasty does not surprise me. When you speak of long term, that's the only way the Chinese think:)
I don't understand politics, or finance as they are played in the real world. When I guess at an outcome, I always get it wrong. But I do understand history. China is more a product of history than any other country on earth. While Putin talks of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, Xi talks of Confucius. The Russians are merely hundreds of years old. Confucius goes back thousands. There is no contest.
Thanks for the discussion.
You made some great points about history. They are also (or have been) patiently following their decades or longer term goals. Go was also invented in China, and that's a game where one wins by controlling the most ground, and is often not confrontational to the end, unlike chess.