[bra4you]

> It wasn't bullshit. Generally, the merchants and voyagers who reached china were in awe.

Well, this was after Rome, and while after the middle ages, still before the industrial revolution.

> It was why europeans wanted to get to china in the first place and not the other way around.

The reason why Europe explored more during that time says more about China than Europe.

"Even decades after the opium wars, europeans were still in awe even while burning and pillaging."

Why should they? Even if they are writings about "superior culture" from that time, we had Roman writers write too about "superior Germanic culture" (bellum germanicum). By the way, do you know why the Opium war happened? Besides having the inferior technology on the Chinese side? Do you know what the reasons was? It should be a warning to China today.