I have never seen anything modern exhibiting such nostalgia, given that the mainland's Communist past deplored imperialism, and the non-Communists areas aren't endeared to colonialism either, give they themselves were historically colonized by foreign powers.

There is a sense that China missed out on the age of discovery, but discovery isn't colonization. Given that the Chinese diaspora usually preferred trade over conquest (establishing themselves as an economic elite throughout Southeast Asia), and the government always prioritized domestic affairs over foreign adventures, it seems doubtful they would've conducted conquests on any large scale even if they did care enough to sail to the New World.