Chinese virtue

Author: (American) Smith
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: What are the Chinese really like? How do foreigners perceive the Chinese? Although we don't need to reshape ourselves according to others' models, we can examine and improve ourselves through their perspectives. This is a book written over 100 years ago by an American who lived in China for over 20 years. Yet, even today, we still show an increasingly strong interest in it. Why? On one hand, it demonstrates that the Chinese, who were reluctant to study themselves, have gradually realized the extreme importance of self-awareness after repeated setbacks and lessons, eventually becoming willing to study themselves. On the other hand, it also shows that the various flaws of the Chinese criticized in the book have not been fully eradicated and some have even worsened. To find out what the author actually said and whether we truly have such flaws, please take a look at the book! This is a groundbreaking work describing the virtues of the Chinese by a American missionary who lived in China for twenty-two years. In his article "To Be Recorded" (III), published fourteen days before his death, Mr. Lu Xun wrote, "I still hope someone will bring out Smith's The Spirit of the Chinese People. After reading it, one should reflect, analyze, understand which points are correct, reform, struggle, and work hard on oneself, without seeking others' forgiveness or praise to prove what the Chinese are truly like." Following Mr. Lu Xun's request, the translator overcame numerous difficulties to find the entire book and provided a detailed and pertinent postscript analysis, which was officially published in 1995 under the title The Spirit of the Chinese People. Ten years later, it was republished by the New World Press under the title The Virtues of the Chinese. This book illustrates that the Chinese, who were reluctant to study themselves, have gradually realized the extreme importance of self-awareness after repeated setbacks and lessons, eventually becoming willing to study themselves.