Despite being the largest power, China was nonetheless conquered by "barbarians" on horseback several times. China's belief in its own inherent greatness resulted in a failure to improve and innovate, and a casual dismissal of very real threats that it faced from outside.

The Qing Emperor Qianlong failed to recognize that the Europeans had better ships, better guns, better political structures, and just plain better technology than China did. His descendants failed to understand that the traditional responses to corruption in the Court and the countryside weren't working.