The world treated them well.
> Read a bit about british opium wars
Sinophiles bellyache about the opium war but conveniently forget recent history.
Read about events during WW2: The US supported China in WW2 which happened much recently than the opium wars.
Read about events after WW2: The US/West gave China economic prosperity through asymmetric deals that decimated the Western middle class while China continued to grow at the expense of the West (through unfair trade deals, outright theft, flagrant violations of international labor and pollution standards, etc.).
Instead of a fake humility, I really wish people read more.
Only so long till China can rent seek from the world before the world says no.
It is not just the West that has an issue with China. India, Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan all have issues. Last time I saw a map, they were not in the West.