Okay, so before we launch into the history, let's define the modern nation-state. Definitions are slippery, but for our purposes, a nation-state involves a centralized government that can claim and exercise authority over a distinctive territory. That's the state part. It also involves a certain degree of linguistic and cultural homogeneity. That's the nation part. Mr. Green, Mr. Green, by that definition, China was a nation-state by, like, probably the Han Dynasty. Dude, me from the past, you're getting smart.