CHINESE CHINESE
                            BOOK   TALK
Talks on interesting Books written about China
'The Civilization of China'  by Herbert Allen Giles, Professor of Chinese
in the University of Cambridge & sometime Consul at Ningpo.
This book gives an outline on the Civilization of China from feudal ages, viewing
from various aspects such as law and government, religion and superstition,
literature and philosophy, recreation and customs. etc. Giles was able to depict
such things as he observed, particularly with an eye of a foreigner, pointing out
misconceptions that China or Chinese had been wronged.
This is a story of the extraordinary life of Joseph Needham (1900-1995). He was a
brilliant scientist who made his name at Cambridge early in his life but spent his
last 50 years writing Science and Civilization in China which eventually ran up to
18 volumes at the time of death.
A remarkable woman
A lustful woman
Chinese beauties
Chinese threatening myths
Female emperor
Martial art story
Home cooking recipes
Chinese legends
"Thunderstorm"
Chinese music
Panda in motion
Fairylands in China
Chinese opera
Powerful sisters
Yang Yu-huan
China
A HK Girl's blog
Love poems
Link to orientalwomentalk.net
This book is a compilation of five discourses by the Author written between the
years 1941-1951 ranging from the war years with the invading Japanese when the
capital retreated to Chungking to the Nationalist government migrating to Taiwan.
The author he talked about the culture and civilization of the Chinese people,
Confucianism as compared with western religions, why Europe was engulfed in a
world war and the way to get out of it. Though the book was written almost 100 years
ago, yet his perceptions, analysis and projections are still valid or worthwhile to-day.
This is an extract on Lin Yu-tnag's book "My Country & My People"
Its on Chinese culture and worth reading.

page 342

I have too much confidence in the Chinese racial character and national heritage to fear they
will ever be lost. A national heritage is but a set of moral and mental qualities, a living,
dynamic thing, showing itself in certain philosophic attitudes toward life and reactions
and contributions in new circumstances. The position should be bravely taken that the
modern world has a spiritual unity and that modern culture is the common heritage of the
world. China cannot possibly remain apart from this common heritage of the world, whether it
be technical science, medicine, philosophy, art or music. She stands to profit by enriching
herself with this harvest of modern civilization. It is a common mistaken notion that she will
thereby sacrifice her national character and her heritage. On the other hand, I think it should
stimulate the Chinese national character to newer and greater creative activities. Frankly, I am
not worried. The Germans, the French, the English and the Americans have all participated in
the building of this modern scientific culture without the loss of their national character; so why
should China lose hers? The different nationalities have all their peculiar contributions to
make, say, the Germans in music and science, the French in art and literature, the English in
democratic government and the Americans in technological perfection and big-scale
business efficiency, but such contributions must be on the basis of a cultural unity. The
modern science of medicine is neither German nor French nor American; there is only one
science of medicine. If the Chinese character is a living force, it will assert itself by its ability to
make contributions to the common fund of knowledge; and if it is not, it is not worth having at
all. A national character cannot mean anything except certain spiritual attitudes and
mental and moral assets, which, under whatever circumstances, will show
themselves. A living national genius should therefore create and produce. It should not be
regarded as something dead and already achieved to be embalmed and preserved. A
national heritage is not a museum piece. Chinese history has already proved the
extraordinary vitality of this Chinese culture, surviving all political shocks without
losing its continuity.