He, he, isn't that what this is all about?  to write about an interesting topic, comment on it and let others ponder and dialog over it?  :)

I just wanted to add the reason why I don't think it is likely that China split up into smaller regions.

China consists mostly of Han Chinese (about 91% of the population) and the rest of 55 other nationalities. But these nationalities are too small in size and so dispersed throughout China that a claim to an area would be impossible, except for Tibet, Taiwan and possibly Inner Mongolia.

Now, the Manchu's were highly sceptical to the Han Chinese when coming to power in 1644 and tried to force Manchu traditions upon them, but this failed and today the Manchu and the Han cultures and traditions are very much entwined, so much to the fact that the Manchu's are now in a minority although a significant one to the Hans in what was known as the old "Manchurian" areas. That could pretty much explain the confusion over what's Chinese (Han) and what's Manchu traditions. (The Han Chinese derives their name from the Han Dynasty and is a bit misleading because there is a wide diversity of distinct cultural and linguistic groups within that concept, but they are not big enough to define them as ethnically different).

Yes, the Chinese history are ridden with tensions and conflicts mostly warlords fighting it out with each other and sometimes with the central power. And that is why I do agree with you on this point. The rapid economic growth and accumulation of wealth with seemingly little or no fair distribution, China will risk having more of these rebellions.  With an ever increasing part of the population moving into the cities the risk would increase even more, even if the Chinese Government have made plans for a massive export of Chinese labour in the years to come possibly to stem the tied of unskilled labour coming into the cities.  

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