Ancient Chinese Culture Lecture

Author: Ge Zhaoguang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The topics discussed here are both ancient and modern. We talk about ancient China to understand modern China—in other words, to understand how the modern China we live in has transformed from the ancient China of history. We need to ask: In what ways has modern China broken away from ancient China, and in what ways is it still connected to it? In what aspects have we been enveloped by Western culture, and in what aspects do we still preserve our own traditions? In what ways do ancient shadows still support the modern psyche, and in what ways have ancient cultures been destroyed by modern civilization? In this book, the author does not want to clearly distinguish between "ancient China" and "modern China," nor does he want to focus particularly on "elite culture" or "common culture." He simply wants readers to understand and experience the "ancient Chinese cultural world." Therefore, the content here includes ancient China's way of observing the world, which has influenced the stance and attitude of Chinese people toward the external world even today, as well as ancient wedding and funeral rituals, because they can help us understand China's family system, and even Confucianism and politics. The author believes these are the most important aspects of ancient and modern Chinese culture, as they shape the Chinese sense of order in their internal world.
Buddhism may have been the most impactful foreign culture on China before Western civilization arrived, and we need to ask: How has it influenced ancient and modern Chinese life? As for Taoism, it is a native Chinese religion, and it seems that even today, Chinese people's concepts of life and death and happiness are still extensions of ancient Taoism. Although Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism have been discussed earlier, to help readers understand a more authentic and universal ancient China, the author also tries to address the religious beliefs of ordinary people, especially dedicating a section to Feng Shui, which is popular in China. This is because behind Feng Shui lies the Yinyang and Five Elements knowledge that influences the thinking of the entire Han Chinese people.