Wiki CommonsStudying history has little practical utility in averting past outcomes. We are doomed to repeat history whether we know it or not. The value in knowing history is not that one might prevent its recurrence. Its value is that it allows you to identify those things that don’t change and that shape events… no matter the year on the calendar. That’s why I want to show you four maps that highlight what parts of the world looked like in the past… and that point the way toward what may come in the future.China Mauldin Economics The map above simplifies a great deal of China’s ancient and imperial history.