Ancient Chinese dance

Author: Liu Qin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-04-01
Features: China is one of the ancient civilizations of the world. Many of the splendid civilizations of the ancient world failed to continue, someed, and others shifted with the transfer of cultural centers to other regions. Only China, a country both ancient and young, has maintained its continuity. With a history of more than 5,000 years from primitive society to the formation of a state, China and its culture have stood tall in the world, unbroken and ever-renewing. Chinese culture is a dynamic and historical concept, characterized by inclusivity and enduringness. Beyond temporal differences, it also encompasses regional and ethnic diversity. It is the result of centuries of continuous exchange, penetration, competition, and integration among the cultures of various regions of the Chinese nation (including Central Plains culture, Shandong culture, Jingchu culture, Bashu culture, Wu-Yue culture, Lingnan culture, Min-Taiwan culture, etc.) and the cultures of all ethnic groups (including Zhuang, Manchu, Mongolian, Hui, Tibetan, and the 56 ethnic groups of China). In this sense, the development of Chinese culture is both concrete and historical, as well as a multi-regional, multi-ethnic, and multi-layered three-dimensional network. Chinese culture, originating in ancient times and continuing to the present, is the crystallization of the common culture, social psychology, and customs of the Chinese nation formed and sustained in the regions surrounding the Yellow River and Yangtze River. To inherit Chinese cultural heritage does not mean uncritically accepting ancient Chinese culture; rather, it means inheriting its fine traditions while discarding its feudal dross. Today, China is in a new era of advancing toward modernization. Understanding the excellence of the past is essential for creating a new culture for the future. This holds great significance for enhancing national self-esteem and strengthening national cohesion. Youth are the future of the nation and the hope of the people. Educating them in traditional culture is both an urgent task and a long-term goal. It is a grand endeavor to enable middle school students and readers with secondary education to grasp the basic knowledge of the history of Chinese culture, understand its glorious past, inherit and promote its fine traditions, and lay a foundation for building a new culture with Chinese characteristics under socialism. This is also the purpose of our editing this series. For adult readers with higher cultural levels and experts, whose individual expertise is always limited, this series remains a high-quality and reliable cultural knowledge resource. The predecessor of this series had 110 topics covering all aspects of history and culture, jointly published by the Commercial Press, the Central Party School Press, Tianjin Education Press, and Shandong Education Press. Now, the editorial board has reorganized the categories, establishing ten major fields: archaeology, history and geography, philosophy, culture, education, science and technology, military science, economy, literature and art, and sports, totaling 100 topics, exclusively published by the Commercial Press. Each topic has also expanded from the original 50,000 words to approximately 80,000 words, with richer content and more detailed narratives. We hope this series can reflect the mainstream and characteristics of Chinese culture from multiple perspectives and levels, enabling readers to recognize the basic features of Chinese culture and understand the spirit of the Chinese nation. This is the greatest aspiration of the editors.