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.
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