This book presents an extensive literary survey of the influence of ancient Chinese cultural classics around the globe, highlighting a mammoth research project involving over forty countries or regions and more than twenty languages. As the book reveals, ancient Chinese culture was introduced to East Asian countries or regions very early on; furthermore, after the late Ming Dynasty, Chinese “knowhow” and ideas increasingly made inroads into the West. In particular, the translation of and research on Chinese classics around the world have enabled Chinese culture to take root and blossom on an unprecedented scale. In addition to offering a valuable resource for readers interested in culture, the social sciences, and philosophy, the book blazes new trails for the study of ancient Chinese culture.

This book is edited based on a series of lectures on Chinese cultural history delivered at the Peking University in 2004. It stands out with its distinctive methodology and unique stand, and is popular with readers, with 17 reprints for the Chinese edition since 2006.Before the 1980s, traditional culture was often the target of criticisms and put in a negative light in China. After the 1980s, due to the belief that traditional culture can contribute to modernization, people decided to 'take its essence and discard its dregs'. As of today, most books on this theme have been written in accordance with this principle.However, in this book, the author argues that many problems have emerged from the modernization of the Western society, and thus the need for reflection and re-examining. Traditional Chinese culture is a source for comparison and reflection. As such, when we discuss traditional culture nowadays, not only should we excavate its long-hidden meanings, but we should also develop contrastive resources to facilitate our collaborative development in future.The discussions in this book adopt a vertical structure that begins with how Chinese define a human, followed by topics on the human body, Qi, food, male and female, home and state, the relationship between heaven and human beings, ritual systems, historical consciousness, thinking patterns, the art of expressing sentiments, commitments to the politics of virtues and achievements, and cultural practices. In every chapter, there is also a horizontal method of comparison on Chinese, Western and Indian cultures, to foreground the particularities and advantages of the Chinese culture.Apart from elaborating on the major characteristics of traditional Chinese culture, there is also a discussion on how the modern disdain for and misunderstandings of the traditional culture originated from the West. The author also elaborates on Montesquieu's views of China and the various misconceptions and misunderstandings of the traditional Chinese legal systems. Finally, it ends with the author's thoughts on the revitalization of the Chinese civilization.

The Qing dynasty (1636–1912)—a crucial bridge between “traditional” and “modern” China—was remarkable for its expansiveness and cultural sophistication. This engaging and insightful history of Qing political, social, and cultural life traces the complex interaction between the Inner Asian traditions of the Manchus, who conquered China in 1644, and indigenous Chinese cultural traditions. Noted historian Richard J. Smith argues that the pragmatic Qing emperors presented a “Chinese” face to their subjects who lived south of the Great Wall and other ethnic faces (particularly Manchu, Mongolian, Central Asian, and Tibetan) to subjects in other parts of their vast multicultural empire. They were attracted by many aspects of Chinese culture, but far from being completely “sinicized” as many scholars argue, they were also proud of their own cultural traditions and interested in other cultures as well. Setting Qing dynasty culture in historical and global perspective, Smith shows how the Chinese of the era viewed the world; how their outlook was expressed in their institutions, material culture, and customs; and how China’s preoccupation with order, unity, and harmony contributed to the civilization’s remarkable cohesiveness and continuity. Nuanced and wide-ranging, his authoritative book provides an essential introduction to late imperial Chinese culture and society.

The Routledge Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Culture offers an in-depth discussion of cultural aspects of China from the ancient period to the pre-modern era, lasting over 5,000 years, comprised of 7,000 word pieces by more than 20 world-leading academics and experts. Addressing areas such as China studies, cultural studies, cultural management, and more specific areas – such as religion, opera, Chinese painting, Chinese calligraphy, material culture, performing arts, and visual arts – this encyclopedia covers all major aspects of traditional Chinese culture. The volume is intended to be a detailed reference for graduate students on a variety of courses, and also for undergraduate students on survey courses to Chinese culture.

The Hawai‘i Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture is a collection of more than ninety primary sources—all but a few of which were translated specifically for this volume—of cultural significance from the Bronze Age to the turn of the twentieth century. They take into account virtually every aspect of traditional culture, including sources from the non-Sinitic ethnic minorities.

This book discusses contemporary Chinese philosophy. It is the is the outcome of the author's own twenty year-long studies on the relationship between modernization and Chinese culture from the perspective of cultural reconstruction and philosophical reflection. The book highlights the author's opinions and research outcomes. Part I Culture 1 1 The Basic Spirit of Ancient Chinese Culture I. Schools of thought on the basic spirit of ancient Chinese culture II. The cultural spirit with humanism as its core 2 Types and Characteristics of Chinese Culture I. The culture of ethical politics that seeks good governance II. Characteristics of the studies of ancient Chinese culture 3 Thinkers and Cultural Traditions I. Thinkers and connotations of cultural traditions II. The major cultural tradition promoted by thinkers III. The main approaches taken by the thinkers to shaping cultural traditions IV. The relationship between thinkers and the cultural traditions V. Absorbing historic resources and reconstructing the cultural traditions 4 The Study of Ancient Chinese Culture and the Spirit of the Times I. The connotation, content and scope of studies of ancient Chinese culture II. The essence of the debate about ancient Chinese culture is how to achieve China’s modernization III. The interaction between ancient Chinese culture and the spirit of the times 5 Ancient Chinese Culture and the Chinese Spiritual Homeland I. What is the spiritual homeland? Anient Chinese culture III. Constructing the Chinese spiritual homeland 6 Traditional Chinese Thought on Humanism I. The indomitable spirit of observing the Way II. The ideal of worshipping the mean and valuing harmony III. The consciousness of tolerance of "cultural China" IV. The conservative and innovative consciousness of evolution V. The pursuit of morality and justice VI. The function of traditional Chinese humanism 7 Issues of the Chinese Culture and the Chinese Spirit I. The connotation and function of cultural spirit and national spirit II. The relationship between Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit III. The innovative study of the spirit of Chinese culture IV. The human spirit, cultural spirit and national spirit 8 The Developmental Direction of Chinese Culture and the Self-improvement of National Spirit: The Efforts of Chinese Cultural Modernization from the Perspective of Three "Cultural Declarations" I. The main content and the value themes of the three "Cultural Declarations" II. The value of the modern neo-Confucian "Cultural Declaration" III. The similarities and differences of the three "Cultural Declarations" IV. The enlightenment of the three "Cultural Declarations" for developmental directions of Chinese culture 9 Cultural Criticism and the Value Reconstruction: A prospective look at the future of Chinese culture I. Cultural critique, values reconstruction and civilization renaissance II. The cultural criticism and value reconstruction in the course of modern history III. The modern spiritual direction of reconstructing the values 10 National Cultural Qualities and Rebuilding the Humanistic Spirit I. The quality of national culture is a diverse and open system II. The value orientations of the human spirit III. The relationship between the cultural qualities of the nation and the spirit of humanity IV. How to rebuild the human spirit V. The main contents of the new humanistic spirit vi Between Tradition and Modernity 11 Economic Globalization and the Construction of National Culture I. Economic globalization cannot counteract cultural nationality II. A rational view of nationalism III. Adhering to and enhancing the cultural nationality 12 Cultural Globalization and Cultural Construction in Contemporary China I. "Cultural globalization" is a factual judgment II. Cultural globalization is subordinate to cultural diversity Part II Philosophy 13 Confucian Cultural Tradition and National Cohesion I. The specifi c meaning of the traditional Confucian culture and its spiritual values II. The cultural connotation of Chinese national cohesion and modern values III. The relationship between tradition of Confucian culture and Chinese national cohesion 14 Confucian Culture and the Construction of a Contemporary Humanistic Spirit I. A rational pursuit of Confucian culture II. The practical needs of contemporary culture building III. The positive value of Confucian culture and the construction of contemporary humanistic spirit 15 Approaches to Promoting Economic Development through Confucian Culture I. Dual roles of Confucian culture in economic development II. A practical approach to promoting economic development through Confucian culture 16 Modernization and Marginalization of Confucianism I. The origin and connotation of modernization and marginalization of Confucianism II. On the modernization of Confucianism III. On the marginalization of Confucianism IV. The tension between the modernization and marginalization of Confucianism 17 Confucianism and Schools of Thoughts in Modern China. I. Tripartite situation of culture: Conservatives, reformists and revolutionaries II. Academic schools of thought: Marxism, Western schools and Neo-Confucianism III. Approaches to cultural reconstruction: Seeking gradual improvement through radical means IV. The contemporary fate of Confucianism 18 Formation of Ruling by Rites in the Han dynasty and its Ideological Features I. The embryonic stage of ruling by rites: The establishment of the country by the Emperor Gaozu of Han to the period of Emperors Wendi and Jingdi of the Han dynasty II. The establishment stage of ruling by rites: the periods from Emperor Wudi to Emperors Zhaodi and Xuandi of the Han dynasty III. The mature stages: During the period of Emperor Zhangdi of the Eastern Han dynasty IV. The ideological characteristics of the Han dynasty 19 The Political Philosophy of Dong Zhongshu I. The political theory of benevolent governance with morality given priority over penalty II. The theory of the historical cycle of three unities III. The theory of political order of "Heaven changeth not, likewise the Way changeth not" 20 Dong Zhongshu’s Thought on Heaven and Man and its Signifi cance in Cultural History I. The theory of mutual interaction between Heaven and humanity II. The theory of harmony between man and nature III. The theory of the unity of nature and mankind with the ruler in the center IV. The signifi cance of Dong Zhongshu’s theory of nature and mankind in cultural history 21 Dong Zhongshu’s Way of Thinking I. The integrated logical approach of analogy and alignment II. The holistic, intuitive and experiential way of thinking III. The reform principles of respecting Heaven and the practice of the ancient times viii Between Tradition and Modernity 22 The Cultural Interpretation of Dong Zhongshu’s ideal I. The great aspiration and noble ideal of the unity of the country II. The pursuit of harmony and fairness III. The strategic vision of long-term stability 23 The Confucian Orientation and Characteristics of the New School in Kang Youwei’s "On Dong Zhongshu’s Study of Spring-Autumn" I. The structure of On Dong Zhongshu’s Study of Spring-Autumn 330 II. The content and themes of "On Dong Zhongshu’s Study of Spring-Autumn" III. "On Dong Zhongshu’s Study of Spring-Autumn" and the Reformation Movement IV. The Guangdong fl avor of "On Dong Zhongshu’s Study of Spring-Autumn" 24 Challenges and Issues of Developing Contemporary Neo-Confucianism I. The dilemma between openness and conservatism II. The gap between the ambition of reviving Confucianism and the desolate reality of the Confucian school III. The confl ict between the traditional values and norms of "Back to Basics" and the modern concept of openness IV. The divorce between the spirit of criticism and the consciousness of self-refl ection V. The paradox between the intentions of modernizing Confucianism and the reality of its marginalization VI. The total lack of an ideal carrier of Confucian values and ideals 25 A Close Examination of the Study of Chinese Philosophy in the 20th Century and a Prospective Look at its Development in the New Century I. The fi rst half of the twentieth century II. The second half of the twentieth century III. Achievements and shortcomings in the century IV. A look into the new century The Postscript of the English version

This book provides a systematic account of the development of agriculture and agricultural civilization in ancient China. It mainly discusses the birth of traditional agriculture, the characteristics and advantages of traditional agricultural economy, traditional agricultural knowledge and technology system, flexible land relations and ownership structure, extensive irrigation system and water conservancy projects, complete policies and measures to emphasize agriculture, the three agricultural expansion processes, the value pursuit of revering agriculture, and the plight and decline of traditional agriculture.