This week, from the 13th to the 15th of May, the two men who have arguably done the most during this century to make China the world’s most powerful nation will meet in Beijing.

One is China’s leader, Xi Jinping. The other is Donald Trump, an aging, increasingly feeble president one month shy of his 80th birthday. He’s seeking a traditional Chinese remedy for the many things that ail him. At the very least, he hopes to change the subject from his disastrous war in Iran and plummeting domestic political fortunes. More ambitiously, but in all likelihood futilely, he hopes to help his own dimming brand by associating it with the man he sees as the gold standard among the world leaders he most admires.

In so doing, Trump will be following in the footsteps of many dignitaries throughout history who have journeyed to China’s capital to meet with that country’s ruler. It is a line that stretches back millennia and reportedly includes Marcus Aurelius, Papal legates, and Asian heads of state.

Such visits in ancient times followed a strict protocol via which foreign visitors were compelled to recognize their inferiority to China’s leader. Tributes were brought. Gifts were bestowed. And formal audiences typically involved a complex ritual known as the “three kneelings and nine prostrations.” This process, which involved a lot of bowing and scraping, was known as the Grand Kowtow.

While modern Chinese leaders do not seek such outright displays of obeisance from visiting heads of state and government, don’t be surprised if a grand kowtow is the net result of this........

© The Daily Beast