Not everyone gets to witness the collapse of a world empire—and survive while living inside it. That happens once every few generations, but there’s not a single country that would exist forever. And even if the breakup of imperial provinces into independent states happens in just a few days, they part ways for decades. Some prosper. Others split apart and perish. Still others fight among themselves. People who yesterday were citizens of one state build a new life—or try to preserve the old one. They run wherever their eyes can see, or try to attach themselves to the former metropolis. They work day and night or become criminal authorities, drug dealers, and terrorists. They end up on the Forbes lists or in the ranks of the lumpenproletariat. Describing all this would be impossible in a single lifetime. And how do you describe the Great Flood if it’s you yourself getting churned in its whirlpool? The Chinese wanted not to have to go through the time of change for a reason. But if that time has come, it’s a sin not to describe what you see and where it seems everything is heading. This is what the real book is about. The author honestly tried to take a neutral observer’s position, though he didn’t quite succeed. Such is karma…