Chinese jellies - what's your take on this...?

I know nothing about how modern Chinese people think, never really met one, and I am really curious about how your past impacts your worldviews today. I just want to know, in light of your ancient history, and the uphevals of the last 3 centuries, how do you see yourselves, China, the world in general, and where you ‘fit in’? Does any of the “Middle Kingdom” mentality remain today, and how much of an influence might it still have on your society? etc. I have seen a few documentaries on your recent history, done some reading about it but I’d really rather get to know how all of this influences real people, hence my question(s) :-)