For much of the reform era, the United States occupied a special place in the Chinese imagination. When I was growing up in China in the 1980s, the US – or meiguo, the “beautiful country” – was more than a country. It was an idea. Many Chinese, myself included, associated it with prosperity, freedom, scientific innovation and a functioning democracy. Even those who disagreed with American foreign policy often admired its institutions and power. That admiration survived many shocks: the Belgrade.