Welcome, my guests, or huanying, as we say in Mandarin. Walk with me now to ancient China, the middle kingdom, the center of the world. I am Qianlong, emperor of one of the most glorious of China’s dynasties: the Qing. I was celebrating my 40th year as emperor when your American colonists signed their Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Look at the dragons, whirling and writhing around the throne and across the gold lacquer screen behind it. It would take you hours to count the dragons that snake their way around the seven panels, so I will tell you: there are 100. They protect me from behind and above. The Chinese dragon is not the same gruesome monster of your western myths. We view him as we view an emperor: as a heavenly being. The dragon is a genius of strength. He is the spirit of change, of life itself. He can lie coiled in the depths of the sea or rise, as you see here, into the clouds of heaven. In fact, my people often say that I, like all emperors, am a dragon.