A local photographer of Malaysian/Singaporean origin by the name of Stefen Chow (no, not Steven Chow) once uttered what I find to be a brilliant way to understand China and its history:

If you want to understand the first 3000 years of China’s history, go to Xi’an.
To understand the last 300 years, go to Beijing.
For the last 30 years, go to Shenzhen.

(paraphrased slightly).

That really about sums it up.