Knowing that their culture comes from the Chinese culture.  But they are not of the same country.  Qin Shi Huang wasn't able to reach as far or Zheng He's voyages didn't create more expansion of Chinese territory.  Whatever domino effect happened nobody can deny that Korea and Japan and Vietnam are extremely closely allied to the mentality of China.  So it's like we aren't one big unified country but technically we are?  It's like they are the "other" autonomous regions of China.