Foreword
With an economy on the fast track and growing national strength, China plays an increasingly larger role on the world stage. As host to the 2008 Summer Olympics, the 2010 World Expo, and the 2022 Winter Olympics, to recall just a few major events, the country with her millennia-long civilization opens her arms wider to the rest of the world.
Within this historical backdrop, the international community has been taking even greater note of China, and friends in other countries are keen to gain a more realistic, vibrant and profound understanding of Chinese culture. Meanwhile, as Chinese we should also strengthen ourselves by understanding our own culture in more comprehensive and more dynamic ways, and with greater breadth and depth.
We compiled this book to provide vibrant and accessible, fresh yet erudite descriptions of Chinese culture for readers both in China and overseas. We believed only deep understanding could illuminate the complex historical nature of Chinese culture.
To this end, we sought to avoid some of the pitfalls of past depictions. The book aims to provide a more focused, all-embracing history of culture spanning the development of philosophy, art, and so on, rather than just being a textbook. We wished to go beyond offering a concentrated glossary of Chinese cultural terms, which were manifold though scant and abstract in meaning. Such limited explanations were a far cry from genuine, nuanced and specific descriptions of Chinese culture, let alone helping readers appreciate its inherent spirit.
This volume improves on earlier works by focusing on specific features and high points of Chinese culture. Our in-depth introductions are substantiated with distinctive examples and documentation. In so doing, we attempt to portray the spirit of Chinese culture, and its inherent meaning and core values. We also pay special attention to the common values shared by humanity and the modern connotations our culture offers, as a precious spiritual heritage not only of the Chinese nation, but also of humankind as a whole. At the same time, we attempt to divulge the inner workings and cultural ethos of the Chinese people, especially their perspectives on everyday life and love for life, and their wishes and aspirations. These, as well as aesthetic pursuits, play an extremely important role in the nations survival and development.
We hope our book will help readers not only gather more detailed knowledge about Chinese culture, but also vividly gain insight into its intrinsic spirit, a nations great aspirations for life and creation, and a peoples character, ethos and pursuits. Let us give some examples:
The Analects and the structure of the Temple of Heaven tell us that the Chinese people have long held a deep reverence for nature.
From Confucian philosophy and from traditional paintings of mountains and rivers, flowers and birds, we can tell of the Chinese peoples love for life and their appreciation of beauty in the union of humanity with all other beings.
From Laozi, The Book of Changes, the ideas of Chan Buddhism, the theories of traditional Chinese medicine, martial arts, sports and games such as taijiquan (shadow boxing) and weiqi (go), we can tell how the Chinese people possess not only creative capacity, but also the living wisdom of pursuing harmony between people and nature.
From Sunzis Art of War we heed the caution of refraining from war, while from the seven voyages to the Western Seas led by Zheng He we learn of the early diplomacy of sharing peace, and the Great Wall built over a span of more than 2,000 years witnesses the Chinese peoples eternal yearning for a peaceful life.
From the popularity of diverse folk cultures and customs in the capital Changan (present-day Xian) in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty (618907), to Shanghais love of European lifestyles in the early 20th century, we see the Chinese peoples open and inclusive attitude toward other cultures.
From Monk Xuanzangs (c. 602664) and Monk Yijings (635713) earnest study of Buddhism in India, spanning over 40 years, and the extent and excellence of the academies of translation they inspired, we see the Chinese peoples great enthusiasm for absorbing different cultures.
From Gansu Provinces Maijishan Grottoes, the smiles of Buddhist statues in Shandong Provinces Qingzhou, and the smiles of Tang-dynasty court ladies on tricolored ceramics, along with the invincible spirit of the Monkey King in the classic novel Journey to the West, we glimpse the Chinese peoples optimism, serenity, and confidence toward life.
From the classic scroll painting A Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, which portrays the vibrant, happy lives of ordinary people in the capital of the Song Dynasty (9601279), we see the Chinese peoples contentment with a life of peace, warmth and harmony.
From pigeons cooing in blue skies over Old Beijing, or the ambience of joy and tranquility in its small wine shops, we see how ordinary Chinese people have found happiness and wonder in everyday life.
From the scenic depictions of high spirits, delights and festivities in the New Year paintings of Yangliuqing in Tianjin and Taohuawu in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, we sense peoples strong desire for peaceful and prosperous lives.
From the square bronze kettle with a lotus-and-crane lid dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770476 BC), the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi (303361), and the poetry of Li Bai (701762), we see the Chinese peoples enlightened, illuminated and highly developed artistic spirit.
From pure porcelain ware, gardens in rain and mist south of the lower Yangtze River, and lovely qipao gowns, we perceive the Chinese peoples grace, taste for life, and sense of beauty.
In the amazing range of musical instruments and board games, spirits and teas, we see the Chinese peoples pursuit of an aesthetic life.
And on and on we could go…
We have sought an accessible and interesting choice of words, with the aim of creating a highly readable text to reflect distinct Chinese flavor and feelingenhanced by over 270 illustrations with captions. We truly hope that all our readers will enjoy the product of this labor of love.

Ye Lang and Zhu Liangzhi
Jun-2024