Chinese totalitarianism includes rewriting history, even that of thousands of years ago, as well as of the last few decades.

One point I disagree with: I don't think the Xia dynasty was mythical. When I studied Chinese history in 1970, I was told that the Shang dynasty was mythical; my teachers did not know about the discovery at Anyang of the last Shang capital, and writings that documented the reigns of late Shang kings.

Earlier Shang capitals have not been identified, but surely they existed. I expect the Xia dynasty existed too, even though we have no archaeological material yet that we can connect with it. Trying to find some is a rational and useful project.

But is it any use to look for them under President Xi's history-distorting rule? If people report finding traces of the Xia dynasty, should we believe them?