History of the World circa 1931.

[rug]

[Bucky]

1. The "relative power" comparing ancient Greece w/ ancient China is way way off

This is what ethnocentrism looks like

[Lionel Mandrake]

2. Since we read from left to right, ...

the important places are on the left, and the "far East" is on the right, which befits its status as least important in the old Western Civ. curriculum.

But seriously, how would you judge the relative power of Ancient Greece and Ancient China, when they hardly interacted with each other?

[Bucky]

3. You have until Jan 20th to update your signature line

The relative power of Ancient Greece and Ancient China can be compared by land conquered, scientific advancement, cultural persistence, cultural continuity and durability, societal longevity, military force, and a whole raft of economic models. By any objective scale, China's impact on history outweighs Greece's. If you're looking for a historical "stadium" where their relative cultural diffusions competed for influence, look at the halfway point: India. In ancient times, say, up till 500 CE, Bharat saw far more influence and interaction from Zhong Guo than from Hellas.

[Lionel Mandrake]

4. I agree that my sig line will be obsolete on Jan. 20.

On that day, Bush the Simple will be only the second worst.

As for relative power: there is no objective scale. Of course China is and was larger geographically, but there is room for more than one opinion about most of the categories you mentioned (scientific advancement, cultural persistence, etc.). What's undeniably true is that Eurocentric historians have paid too little attention to China.