What defines the Middle Kingdom has been a question pondered both within China and outside of it for centuries. In this lucid and far-reaching yet concise essay, Helwig Schmidt-Glintzer finds the answer in the empty center and in the efforts to compensate for this lack. Starting from this premise, he first illuminates the identity of what is meant by "China," then interprets the inherent ambivalence of Chinese culture towards claims of authority, and reconstructs the history of Chinese statehood. Against this backdrop, it becomes possible to decipher many of the puzzles that China often presents to the West. Above all, it becomes clear that China may be better equipped for global modernity than most other countries.