第四部分中国传统文化.doc

Chapter Four Chinese Traditional Culture Part I China and Her People China is wondrous and awe-inspiring. Q It has a history of five thousand years. It is reputed as the single oldest uninterrupted civilization in the world. Other ancient civilizations have changed, discontinued, withered or perished. Why is it so enduring? Why is it so coherent, often sticking to itself, remaining undivided? Why is it so dynamic, always able to revive, regenerate and revitalize itself? Why is it an immortal phoenix able to rise again on its ashes? These are enduring questions. Nobody can give a complete answer. They will stimulate intellect, provoke interest, and engender investigation. Chinese culture is rich and profound. It has the richest historical records. Chinese have been most historically minded. Perhaps, China has more historical records than the whole world put together. This guess will not be far from truth. She has a great deal of historical records from the pre-Christian era, not to mention the matchless twenty-six history books of the imperial dynasties. She is not the home of Buddhism, but she boasts of the richest Buddhist scriptures. Another area of the profundity of Chinese culture is her pre-industrial revolution science and technology. Before this revolution China had been the pace-setter not only in history and literature but also in science and technology. Unfortunately, this area had been all along neglected by the world, including China herself. Fortunately, this has been discovered and proved by the world-famous British scholar Joseph Needham. Thanks to his efforts, this has been universally accepted by the worlds people as a matter of fact. The richness of Chinese culture also finds expression in its diversity and pluralism. China has always been a country of many ethnic groups. No matter which ethnic group was dominant, be it Hans, Mongols, or Manchus, her various peoples always could live under t