The rise of China is a topic of great concern to the world nowadays. In contrast to the realist logic of power politics, constructivism holds that the consequences of the rise of China are not determined by material factors but by the identity of China with respect to its neighbours. The view neighbouring countries have of China and its rise will vary according to their understanding of what China is. This will also influence mutual relations. This paper asks if this is in fact the case. It adopts a historical perspective and compares China's rise under the Qin-Han, Sui-Tang, Liao, Jin, Yuan and Ming dynasties, with a focus on Korea during the early Ming. The paper examines whether Korea's non-acceptance of China led to a rejection of China's rise and whether Korean acceptance of China led to acceptance of China's rise.