An Outline of Chinese Culture

Author: Cheng Yuzhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: Chinese culture is profound and has a long history. The author uses concise language to vividly outline the historical origins and development of Chinese culture. This book can serve as a textbook for university public courses and also as a concise read to enhance cultural literacy. The author originally studied Chinese literature and later focused on Tang poetry. It's not clear what triggered it, but later, he developed an interest in various famous scenic spots and historical sites. Since the 1980s, he has dedicated himself to the vast and profound Chinese culture and even taught a selective course called "An Overview of Chinese Culture" to third-year students majoring in foreign languages at Beijing Foreign Studies University, where I worked. As a result, I initially faced two major shortcomings: first, a lack of understanding of the core of culture—philosophical thought, and second, complete ignorance of natural sciences. Therefore, in those topics, I deliberately avoided these two issues. Perhaps it was because people had been disconnected from "culture" for too long, even though I was ignorant and had only a superficial understanding of culture, I still managed to achieve unexpected results in the classroom. The number of students attending each session sometimes reached hundreds because I incorporated some new materials and perspectives. This edition has undergone significant changes in both length and content, with substantial adjustments to the topics and additional analyses in some sections. The purpose is to more comprehensively and concisely reflect the achievements of ancient Chinese culture and make it suitable for a broad young readership. Notably, three topics with a sense of achievement and representativeness have been added: "Academia," "Science and Technology," and "Sino-foreign Cultural Exchange."