How might chinese civilization have developed differently if china had not been so isolated?

The Chinese could have created a major world empire.

Explanation:

During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), China was the largest economy in the world. Its size and economic might dwarfed any other civilization on Earth at the time. By the 15th century, the Ming had the largest fleet in the world. Under the command of Zheng He (1371-1435), Chinese "treasure ships" embarked on a series of seven voyages between 1405 and 1433, reaching Southeast Asia, the Indian peninsula, the Middle East, and the eastern coast of Africa. Ming China was then the major naval power in Asia and in the entire world. However, for still unclear reasons, the Ming dynasty cancelled the project and treasure ships were abandoned. From then on, China turned inwards.

The considerable might and size of the Chinese fleet could have enabled China to become a major world power, decades before any European powers had the might to challenge them. Before treasure ships were discarded, Ming China was the dominant naval power in most of Asia. It can be argued that eventually the Chinese fleets could have sailed across the Pacific all the way to the Americas, thus setting foot there and conquering the New World before the Europeans. The amount of untapped wealth and resources in the Americas could have supported a Chinese sea-faring civilization that spanned the whole globe, just like the Spanish and British empires eventually did.

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explanation: