CW

If it makes it better a school friend of mine did join the military and became an officer. During one lecture about China and the countries structure they heavily leaned on the "mandate of Heaven" and argued that bad economy means people think the heaven doesn't favour the leaders / CPC anymore and there might be a window for "economic reforms".

Rather than thinking material reality matters for people the Westerners hold up concepts that are at best orientalist caricatures of times long past. He came back from that workshop and was having a hard case of brains.