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A quick look over traditional Chinese culture
Connotation of traditional Chinese culture
A concise view is that， the Chinese culture focuses more on reality than fancy， and this humanistic spirit has two features： first， it is “non-religious”. It reveals the essence and meanings of the universe， society and life from a prospective of philosophy and science， which is entirely reasonable and also supported by evidence. It’s human rather than God that occupies a core position in Chinese culture. Second， seen from the philosophy of life， it focuses on reality and practical rationality， which fully conforms to the social life.
However， just like the cultural creation of any times and any nations that has weakness due to historical limitation unavoidably， the traditional Chinese culture also has some negative factors which are deeply rooted in China’s closed peasant economy， patriarchal system， autocratic bureaucratic policy and lifestyle linked by blood relations and based on families. Though great changes has taken place in China’s economy， policy， culture and social lifestyles compared with the ancient society， the tradition is a huge inertial force， and its negative influence cannot be completely eliminated within a short period of time.
“Custom culture” and “Classics culture”
When we talk about Chinese traditional culture， two parts should be included； they are “classics culture” – the culture from Chinese classics and “custom culture” – the culture from Chinese customs.
The classics refer to The Book of Songs， The Book of History， The Book of Changes， The Book of Rites， Zuo Zhuan， etc. - from hundred schools of thoughts such as Confucianism， Taoism， Legalism， Mohist and the Art of War. Custom means cultural heritage featuring customs and coming down through generations of Chinese daily life or oral instruction. Viewing the Chinese living model today， custom culture plays a more important role than classic culture.
Heritage of traditional culture in contemporary China
Modernism is prone to take traditional culture as a burden or barrier， and unaware of the importance of traditional culture to China. Because of historical factors over the past century， some good traditional ethics and morality has been damaged in various degrees. That has caused in return some serious social problems. Case in point： honesty crisis is now exerting pressure on the current Chinese society by causing a deformed survival competition. It is being unhealthily discussed whether a passerby on the street should help the old tumbled up. Another example is， since it comes to the old， the Chinese culture of filial piety is on the wane. Having access to a great deal better material life provided by their children， some old people still lead a life not so good--they are treated with an unconcerned attitude by their better-off children. “We are in an ever-changing era： from agricultural society to industrial society； from planned economy to market economy； and from closed society to open society. Interruption of the inheritance during the changing course is barely perceived immediately by people. Something of metaphysics should come out unconsciously and inadvertently. The earlier one perceives it， the more assets he will give us. Of course perception is not enough in the absence of protective awareness of tradition.” said Feng Jicai， vice president of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
When it comes to Chinese culture， many foreigners think it has a powerful vitality for its openness， inclusiveness and harmony. Irina Fedorovna Popova， head of the Department of Manuscripts and Documents at the IOM RAS， said that Chinese culture digested in its development the nutrition from varieties of foreign cultures.
“Uniformity of diversities of cultures is a worrying trend which will erase the historical tradition of different countries.” said Dr. Rosie Goldstein， Vice-Principal （Research and International Relations） of McGill University， “The world is supposed to be diversified. All the nations should actively protect and develop their own culture which is their ‘root’. The cultural difference among nations is an innate objective existence. The world can be colorful only with the harmonious coexistence of different cultures.”
Recommended books on traditional Chinese culture
Happiness Thought and Contemporary Value on Traditional Chinese Culture
Bi Changping | Zhejiang University Press | ?39.00 | Aug 2013 | ISBN 9787308118057
The book probes into the thought of happiness contained in three classic works on the mainstream ideologies in Chinese traditional culture， The Analects of Confucius of Confucianism， Tao Te Ching of Taoism and Heart Sutra of Buddhism， to guide people to set up the right concepts and orientation on happiness， alleviate the crisis that human beings are facing and lead them to step into a real happy society or a happy era. The similar studies in the past tended to consider the happiness value in traditional culture from a macroscopic view， or focus on the happiness value from one specific genre. None has explored into the connotations of happiness and the ways to become happy. And none has conducted a systematic search on the happy thoughts in the masterpieces of a certain genre. The book is published in hope that readers can learn the rich happy thoughts in traditional Chinese culture. These thoughts will help to eradicate or alleviate the aeipathia of this time， “the paradox of happiness”， thus guiding people to turn into a happy era or a happy society. Latest Reviews of Western Humanities & Social Sciences on Sinology
Lu Shuming | China Renmin University Press | ?68.00 | Sep 2012 | ISBN 9787300161198
A Review of Series on Western Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences： China Studies aims to make a systematic conclusion and analysis to sinology in western humanities and social sciences in history， politics， military， economy， social culture， language， literature， Confucianism， Taoism， Buddhism， intellectual and marriage， etc. Each chapter was written by scholars who are now engaged in teaching and researching humanities and social sciences in colleges and universities in the United States and other countries， who have profound insights into the development and leading edge of sinology in the west. Each chapter systematically analyzes the theories， methods， trends， hot issues， disputes， representative scholars and their works of the researches conducted by western scholars on sinology in their concerned field as well as the development in recent one to two decades. There are lots of interconnections between each discipline of humanities and social sciences. To learn the theoretical system and research methods of different disciplines is of great significance to analogize and learn sinology.
Annals of Chinese Customs
Hu Piaoan | Yuelu Publishing House， China South Publishing & Media Group | ?66.00 | Nov 2013 | ISBN 9787553802206
Annals of Chinese Custom edited by Hu Piaoan comes in two volumes： one for the description of local conditions and folk customs all around the nation from time immemorial in presence of historical materials； and the other for the author’s records on local traditions. It should be especially noted that as the book was published in 1922 when the place names and regional divisions in the book were not what they are today. To keep the original style of the book， these changes were not specifically marked. Some of the local customs and practices and religious beliefs come from historical materials and some from introductions to the then local custom. Lots of descriptions are quite different from those today and some even inappropriate. So we made some revisions herein for publishing purpose， yet maintained basically the original for academic use.
Decode the Encrypted Chinese Culture
Zhong Zhuosang | Bashu Publishing House | ?30.00 | Nov 2013 | ISBN 9787553103495
The book presents readers with some obscure and funny expressions in Chinese language， characters， history and culture. As a popular literature filled with both knowledge and fun， the book reveals， as much as it can， the long history and rich connotations of “encrypted” in various cultural fields at all level in from different historical periods. These humorous， covert and diversified expressions can inspire people’s mind and broaden their knowledge， thus scourging the evil and promoting the good. Especially， it can manifest the profoundness and diversification of “encrypted” in Chinese culture， thus to further improves the everlasting passion toward the splendid Chinese culture among Chinese around the world especially Chinese young people. Ji Lianhai’s Comments on Records of the Three Kingdoms
Lijiang Publishing House | ?68.00 | Mar 2013 | ISBN 9787540763718
Ji Lianhai’s Comments on Records of the Grand Historian
Lijiang Publishing House | ?68.00 | Apr 2013 | ISBN 9787540764166
Ji Lianhai’s Comments on Book of Han
Lijiang Publishing House | ?68.00 | Mar 2013 | ISBN 9787540764289
Ji Lianhai’s Comments on Book of the Later Han
Lijiang Publishing House | ?68.00 | Mar 2013 | ISBN 9787540764227
Ji Lianhai’s comments on the first four histories of The Twenty-four histories
The Twenty-Four Histories， the essence of Chinese cultural heritage， are Chinese national histories that have been handed down for 2，000 years. And the first four histories， Records of the Grand Historian， Book of Han， Book of the Later Han and Records of the Three Kingdoms， are the quintessence of the Twenty-four Histories.
The series reorganize the first four histories in a careful and scientific way. With famous historical figures as its clue and great historical events as its background， the book tells lots of vivid and interesting historical stories， revealing a magnificent historical picture and bringing these figures of blood and flesh back to life.
Ji Lianhai， author of this book， is an influential person in the Lecture Room of CCTV who is quite popular among the audiences for his enthusiasm， humor， questions and sarcasm. As a super star in academia， he has billions of fans. He is called as the “biggest weirdo” among the ten most famous lecturers in Lecture Room.He blends his unique style fully into his book. Based on the premises of large amounts of historical facts， he builds up a storytelling framework， as if he were writing a TV series； he sets suspensions. He pays particular attentions to the way of expression by referring to the style of storytelling and monologue comic talk in North China. The humorous and amusing language is not only easy to understand but also is so intriguing to the readers.
Besides the sense of humor， the book is also featured by its rich emotion. When commenting historical figures， the author is quite emotional and wholehearted. He shares with us his own experience in learning history and reveals to us some historical rules and codes of conducts， which is very helpful for us to improve our interpersonal skills and adaptability.
Collections of Qian Mu： Chinese Spirits in History
Qian Mu | Jiuzhou Press | ?68.00 | Apr 2013 | ISBN 9787510812873 China has a long history witnessing numerous revolutions and transformations of dynasties. This makes who study history can only bemoan their insignificance in the face of it.， those who read history have no idea of emphasis but to shrink back. While Doctor Qian Mu， author of Chinese Spirits in History， solves all these difficulties with his broad and profound knowledge of history and acute analytical capability， providing a chance for people to catch a glimpse of the innermost recess of Chinese historical culture. The book not only teaches you all the historical concepts in a short time but also helps you to understand the 5，000-year historical spirits of China， thus making us clear about the historical mission and the direction that we should move towards.
Treasury of Chinese Classics （20 Vol. Set）
Pei Boyan | China Friendship Publishing Company | ?570.00 | Mar 2013
Treasury of Chinese Classics is a collection of classics selected from 250，000 ancient books that best represent Chinese culture. More than 50 famous experts and scholars rewrite， annotate and comment these ancient classics in a vivid and influent style of writing. The book is lucid， interesting and close to life and always explains complex theories with simple words. It has been selling well in Taiwan for more than 30 years. Anyone Chinese who receives education in middle school can read it.
It is acknowledged by majorities scholars engaged in the research of Chinese culture that Chinese culture is human-oriented and it cares about， participate in and reflects life. No matter it is the philosophies in the Spring and Autumn and Warring period， or classics transmission in the Han and Jin Dynasties， or essays on morality written by Han Yu， Liu Zongyuan， Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi， or argumentations on human nature of Cheng Hao， Cheng Yi， Zhu Xi， Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming； no matter it is the worrying sigh of the nobility Qu Yuan or the epiphany of woodcutter Huineng， no matter it is the poems and operas sung by our ancestors or the story-telling dialects and novels talked by the villagers， they are all full of an intensely ordinary characteristics， rustic fragrance and human relations. But as a heritor of Chinese culture， a modern Chinese people， how much do we know about this broad civilization that cares and loves its people and the cultural that has shaped and protected us？ The popular western civilization is guiding the considerations and common practices of intellects. The popularization of TV program， films and mass media has shaped a life style that is dominated by sensory culture where social values are still floating. We have already been dazzled by the radiation circle of superior culture that is criticized by scholars of communications and lost our self-ego and creativity before our nature becomes stable. ——Master Yancan， Vice President of Hebei Buddhism Association
Encyclopedia of Chinese Culture （Spanish Edition）
Ji Yemo | Foreign Language Press | ?198.00 | Sep 2013 | ISBN 9787119084619
There are about 600，000 words and 650 entries in Encyclopedia of Chinese Culture. When planning and designing the book， Foreign Language Press conducted a full research on overseas market. The book is written by a Spanish writer who has an in-depth knowledge on Chinese culture. Compared with the other existing Spanish book translated and edited in China， the book has a strong force of expression and its style of writing also matches the reading habit of Spanish readers. Besides， the book covers a wide range of scope. The 650 entries that are arranged in Spanish alphabetical order involve many aspects of Chinese culture， such as， The Water Margin， abacus， fan， acupuncture and moxibustion， potting， stone forest， bronze ware， Buddhism， Cao Cao， The Analects of Confucius， Spring Festival， match marker and the Five Elements. The selection of entries and filtration of contents are both independently done by the author. He has chosen some contents that might interest foreign readers from a perspective of a foreigner， freeing the materials and purposes from the conventional concepts and standards of foreign publications published by China and can better meet the foreign readers’ demands on culture psychology and knowledge.
Chinese Folklore Culture Series
Dong Qiang （Editor） | Anhui People’s Publishing House | ?33.00. | Oct 2013 | ISBN 9787212062422
In a society full of western culture， Chinese folklore culture may be on the wane from the memory of readers. Published by Anhui People’s Publishing House with the help of Dong Qiang from School of Society of Soochow University who has studied Chinese folklore for years， the bilingual edition of Chinese Folklore Culture Series（5 Vol. Set ） is now commercially available.
The series comprise five books of “marriage， residence， diet， festival and funeral”. The books are well illustrated and written in simple clear language.
Marriage. In China， there are diversities of wedding traditions in complex ritual， and each ethnic minority has its own nuances， which adds to the charm of Chinese wedding culture. Based on substantial references and the latest achievements in folklore study， the book elaborates the origin， evolution and characteristics of Chinese wedding culture. It makes clear the presentation and evolution of each ethnic minority’s marriage custom， using historical anecdotes， mythologies， folktales， etc. in a lively and vivid instead of abstruse way. Residence. The book fully introduces the various and colorful settlements and building forms， and elaborates the long-standing history and unique charm of the Chinese traditional folk house. “Some reside in bamboo house， some house on water， some put their house on horseback， and some enjoy the purest gift from nature in cave house”. Focused on the life habits， space layouts， architectures， etc.， of residences across China， it introduces some typical and widely covering examples， especially the architectural styles and features of each ethnic minority.
Diet. The book portrays the unique dietetic culture of each ethnic minority. In the course of history， Chinese people in different places have formed their preferences for diet. The staple food varies in south （rice） and north （noodles）， and the non-staple food includes snacks and cakes which vary with places as “sour， sweet， spicy and salty”. The Chinese dietetic culture is closely linked with not only “the philosophy of yin and yang and five elements， the Confucian ethic morals and the theory of health care in Chinese medicine”， but also the culture， art， aesthetic fashion and national characteristics， etc.
Festival. It deals with the long-standing Chinese traditional festival. With informative references， in-depth analyses and humorous wordings， the book unfolds the forming process and origin of Chinese traditional festival， the similarities， differences， features and cultural connotations among ancient and modern festival customs.
Funeral. The book discusses the unique funeral culture formed in Middle Earth. Chinese funeral custom contains both the essence of national culture and the dross from ancient society， especially the hierarchy and superstition in feudal society. Funeral resulted from the concept of soul. The Chinese concept of soul is the immortality of soul， which means the soul of someone will live on after death， and keep benefiting the offspring. That resulted in the unique Chinese funeral customs such as proper burial， abundant offerings and longtime offerings. Aiming at introducing the ritual and culture of Chinese funeral and uncovering the funeral customs and taboos of each ethnic minority， the book provides readers with a window whereby they can get a full understanding of the secret of Chinese funeral culture.
As Water Flows
Wang Yuewen | Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House | ?22.00 | Jul 2012 | ISBN 9787540455996
Exploration of traditional culture essence in folklore Since the success of his Courtyard in Autumn Wind 18 years ago， Wang Yuewen has grown into a mature writer. His novels covering a wide range of knowledge： both have the Chinese Painting， which made him gain popularity， and the historical novel of Chancellor in Qing Dynasty， and even a romantic fiction—The Dead Bird.
As Water Flows is the exploration of traditional culture essence in folklore. Yu and Hui--the two protagonists therein—are not traditional “gentlemen” but ordinary famers. Although in a low status， they both share the characteristics of a gentleman. They work conscientiously and keep improving their professions. Carpentry is turned into art by Yu， who specializes in both carpentry and farm work. While Hui delivers babies and makes up the dead body meticulously to express her love for human being. They love their neighbors as themselves， and are courteously self-disciplined. Besides， it’s easy for a man and a woman—both are single—to fall in love with each other in daily interactions， but they help， appreciate and care each other with a certain distance. The most admirable is that they are neither humble nor pushy. If something or someone goes wrong with them， they will argue strongly on just grounds. The traditional Chinese culture kills a great deal of humanity in Chinese people， but the two characters survive and live freely in China. That’s exactly the original findings of the author.
The novel goes in a day-to-day narrative， covering smoothly and logically the food， clothing and other routines in life. As readers read on， poetic but heartrending flavor flows vividly out of the daily life narrated. Yu lives in the delicate log cabin built by him and surrounded by varieties of flowers all year round. On the hillside is his vegetable garden where “peppers are so many that they make the branches bend to break.” Even the Shanwotang serves as his vegetable garden， where he can go for some lactarius delicious any time he want a taste. Yu’s children are promising. Even though they don’t live with their father， they win a great honor for him. Hui has a son who is not such promising as Yu’s， but she lives a fine life all the same. Her hair flows brightly， and her clothes are neater than the others’ even with patches. Yu and Hui get along well. Yu’s daughter is born in the same year with Hui’s son， and they play together since childhood. When Yu makes wooden chairs and wooden carts， he always makes two respectively—one for Hui， and one for himself. When Hui’s father passes away without a coffin， Yu gives his own coffin away for the funeral of Hui’s father. Knowing that Hui’s son can’t afford a coffin for his mother， Yu then makes another two coffins—one for Hui and one for himself. Hui secretly prepares grave clothes for Yu and， to palliate Yu’s loneliness， come to Yu with her son on Spring Festival. The conflicts， if any， take place in only two or three scenes： Yu scolds at Cadre Lu who talks behind Hui’s back about her history； Hui hits Cadre Lu in the dark； and the follow-up of the sincere conversation between Yu and Hui. Exaggerating to impress is generally a sign of emptiness. Only mature work smells of mental calm and touching silence. This is why the book stands out among the present novels.
Family Heirloom： Chinese Wisdom in Life
Ren Xiang | New Star Press | ?480.00 | Mar 2012 | ISBN 9787513303569
Family Heirloom： Chinese Wisdom in Life book recommendation
By Jet Li
Engaged in film-making around the world， I have known the fact that children in poverty-stricken areas may not only miss the chance to go to school， but even die from malnutrition. I’m so heart-struck and shocked about that. I’ve since been wondering what I can do to help them. In 2007， I set up the One Foundation， calling upon kind-hearted people to donate little by little in a bid to help those in need across the world. Through that， I can have a deeper communication with resource owners in different countries. But I later found that many foreigners know superficially about the real China. For example， they know my Kung Fu but turn a blind eye to the inheritance and rules in Chinese martial arts； they see the good deeds and charity example of the One Foundation， but at the same time know little about the cultural deposits of kindheartedness and Great Harmony； and they love the delicious Chinese food but are ignorant of China’s vast territory and abundant resources. Chinese culture， in a word， is both deep and wide， and it’s not easy to outline the culture in Chinese life with just a few words.
Ren Xiang’s Family Heirloom： Chinese Wisdom in Life uses a clear framework trying to cover the cultural deposits in Chinese daily life. If it can be published in foreign languages， I bet foreign fans of Chinese culture will get a more specific view. So I think highly of its publication.
The series can benefit not only foreigners’ understanding of Chinese people， but also my generation and the young generation with abundant knowledge on Chinese tradition. For example， as for the elaboration of festival， food， etc.， and the idioms， proverbs， publishing， drama， poetry， maxim， figures， etc. in “words on regulating the family”， some of them may have been known by most of my generation， but once put together in a clear graph， they will act as a catch-all map which can give reference for parents’ instructing their children. Besides， the contents such as health and environmental protection in “home tips” are useful common sense for the developing China.
All income from Family Heirloom： Chinese Wisdom in Life is reportedly donated to the building of Dharma Drum Buddhist College set by Master Sheng-Yen. After publication of the simplified Chinese version， Ren Xiang chooses to have it free of royalty， in a bid to lower the cost to benefit more readers.
Connotation of traditional Chinese culture
A concise view is that， the Chinese culture focuses more on reality than fancy， and this humanistic spirit has two features： first， it is “non-religious”. It reveals the essence and meanings of the universe， society and life from a prospective of philosophy and science， which is entirely reasonable and also supported by evidence. It’s human rather than God that occupies a core position in Chinese culture. Second， seen from the philosophy of life， it focuses on reality and practical rationality， which fully conforms to the social life.
However， just like the cultural creation of any times and any nations that has weakness due to historical limitation unavoidably， the traditional Chinese culture also has some negative factors which are deeply rooted in China’s closed peasant economy， patriarchal system， autocratic bureaucratic policy and lifestyle linked by blood relations and based on families. Though great changes has taken place in China’s economy， policy， culture and social lifestyles compared with the ancient society， the tradition is a huge inertial force， and its negative influence cannot be completely eliminated within a short period of time.
“Custom culture” and “Classics culture”
When we talk about Chinese traditional culture， two parts should be included； they are “classics culture” – the culture from Chinese classics and “custom culture” – the culture from Chinese customs.
The classics refer to The Book of Songs， The Book of History， The Book of Changes， The Book of Rites， Zuo Zhuan， etc. - from hundred schools of thoughts such as Confucianism， Taoism， Legalism， Mohist and the Art of War. Custom means cultural heritage featuring customs and coming down through generations of Chinese daily life or oral instruction. Viewing the Chinese living model today， custom culture plays a more important role than classic culture.
Heritage of traditional culture in contemporary China
Modernism is prone to take traditional culture as a burden or barrier， and unaware of the importance of traditional culture to China. Because of historical factors over the past century， some good traditional ethics and morality has been damaged in various degrees. That has caused in return some serious social problems. Case in point： honesty crisis is now exerting pressure on the current Chinese society by causing a deformed survival competition. It is being unhealthily discussed whether a passerby on the street should help the old tumbled up. Another example is， since it comes to the old， the Chinese culture of filial piety is on the wane. Having access to a great deal better material life provided by their children， some old people still lead a life not so good--they are treated with an unconcerned attitude by their better-off children. “We are in an ever-changing era： from agricultural society to industrial society； from planned economy to market economy； and from closed society to open society. Interruption of the inheritance during the changing course is barely perceived immediately by people. Something of metaphysics should come out unconsciously and inadvertently. The earlier one perceives it， the more assets he will give us. Of course perception is not enough in the absence of protective awareness of tradition.” said Feng Jicai， vice president of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
When it comes to Chinese culture， many foreigners think it has a powerful vitality for its openness， inclusiveness and harmony. Irina Fedorovna Popova， head of the Department of Manuscripts and Documents at the IOM RAS， said that Chinese culture digested in its development the nutrition from varieties of foreign cultures.
“Uniformity of diversities of cultures is a worrying trend which will erase the historical tradition of different countries.” said Dr. Rosie Goldstein， Vice-Principal （Research and International Relations） of McGill University， “The world is supposed to be diversified. All the nations should actively protect and develop their own culture which is their ‘root’. The cultural difference among nations is an innate objective existence. The world can be colorful only with the harmonious coexistence of different cultures.”
Recommended books on traditional Chinese culture
Happiness Thought and Contemporary Value on Traditional Chinese Culture
Bi Changping | Zhejiang University Press | ?39.00 | Aug 2013 | ISBN 9787308118057
The book probes into the thought of happiness contained in three classic works on the mainstream ideologies in Chinese traditional culture， The Analects of Confucius of Confucianism， Tao Te Ching of Taoism and Heart Sutra of Buddhism， to guide people to set up the right concepts and orientation on happiness， alleviate the crisis that human beings are facing and lead them to step into a real happy society or a happy era. The similar studies in the past tended to consider the happiness value in traditional culture from a macroscopic view， or focus on the happiness value from one specific genre. None has explored into the connotations of happiness and the ways to become happy. And none has conducted a systematic search on the happy thoughts in the masterpieces of a certain genre. The book is published in hope that readers can learn the rich happy thoughts in traditional Chinese culture. These thoughts will help to eradicate or alleviate the aeipathia of this time， “the paradox of happiness”， thus guiding people to turn into a happy era or a happy society. Latest Reviews of Western Humanities & Social Sciences on Sinology
Lu Shuming | China Renmin University Press | ?68.00 | Sep 2012 | ISBN 9787300161198
A Review of Series on Western Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences： China Studies aims to make a systematic conclusion and analysis to sinology in western humanities and social sciences in history， politics， military， economy， social culture， language， literature， Confucianism， Taoism， Buddhism， intellectual and marriage， etc. Each chapter was written by scholars who are now engaged in teaching and researching humanities and social sciences in colleges and universities in the United States and other countries， who have profound insights into the development and leading edge of sinology in the west. Each chapter systematically analyzes the theories， methods， trends， hot issues， disputes， representative scholars and their works of the researches conducted by western scholars on sinology in their concerned field as well as the development in recent one to two decades. There are lots of interconnections between each discipline of humanities and social sciences. To learn the theoretical system and research methods of different disciplines is of great significance to analogize and learn sinology.
Annals of Chinese Customs
Hu Piaoan | Yuelu Publishing House， China South Publishing & Media Group | ?66.00 | Nov 2013 | ISBN 9787553802206
Annals of Chinese Custom edited by Hu Piaoan comes in two volumes： one for the description of local conditions and folk customs all around the nation from time immemorial in presence of historical materials； and the other for the author’s records on local traditions. It should be especially noted that as the book was published in 1922 when the place names and regional divisions in the book were not what they are today. To keep the original style of the book， these changes were not specifically marked. Some of the local customs and practices and religious beliefs come from historical materials and some from introductions to the then local custom. Lots of descriptions are quite different from those today and some even inappropriate. So we made some revisions herein for publishing purpose， yet maintained basically the original for academic use.
Decode the Encrypted Chinese Culture
Zhong Zhuosang | Bashu Publishing House | ?30.00 | Nov 2013 | ISBN 9787553103495
The book presents readers with some obscure and funny expressions in Chinese language， characters， history and culture. As a popular literature filled with both knowledge and fun， the book reveals， as much as it can， the long history and rich connotations of “encrypted” in various cultural fields at all level in from different historical periods. These humorous， covert and diversified expressions can inspire people’s mind and broaden their knowledge， thus scourging the evil and promoting the good. Especially， it can manifest the profoundness and diversification of “encrypted” in Chinese culture， thus to further improves the everlasting passion toward the splendid Chinese culture among Chinese around the world especially Chinese young people. Ji Lianhai’s Comments on Records of the Three Kingdoms
Lijiang Publishing House | ?68.00 | Mar 2013 | ISBN 9787540763718
Ji Lianhai’s Comments on Records of the Grand Historian
Lijiang Publishing House | ?68.00 | Apr 2013 | ISBN 9787540764166
Ji Lianhai’s Comments on Book of Han
Lijiang Publishing House | ?68.00 | Mar 2013 | ISBN 9787540764289
Ji Lianhai’s Comments on Book of the Later Han
Lijiang Publishing House | ?68.00 | Mar 2013 | ISBN 9787540764227
Ji Lianhai’s comments on the first four histories of The Twenty-four histories
The Twenty-Four Histories， the essence of Chinese cultural heritage， are Chinese national histories that have been handed down for 2，000 years. And the first four histories， Records of the Grand Historian， Book of Han， Book of the Later Han and Records of the Three Kingdoms， are the quintessence of the Twenty-four Histories.
The series reorganize the first four histories in a careful and scientific way. With famous historical figures as its clue and great historical events as its background， the book tells lots of vivid and interesting historical stories， revealing a magnificent historical picture and bringing these figures of blood and flesh back to life.
Ji Lianhai， author of this book， is an influential person in the Lecture Room of CCTV who is quite popular among the audiences for his enthusiasm， humor， questions and sarcasm. As a super star in academia， he has billions of fans. He is called as the “biggest weirdo” among the ten most famous lecturers in Lecture Room.He blends his unique style fully into his book. Based on the premises of large amounts of historical facts， he builds up a storytelling framework， as if he were writing a TV series； he sets suspensions. He pays particular attentions to the way of expression by referring to the style of storytelling and monologue comic talk in North China. The humorous and amusing language is not only easy to understand but also is so intriguing to the readers.
Besides the sense of humor， the book is also featured by its rich emotion. When commenting historical figures， the author is quite emotional and wholehearted. He shares with us his own experience in learning history and reveals to us some historical rules and codes of conducts， which is very helpful for us to improve our interpersonal skills and adaptability.
Collections of Qian Mu： Chinese Spirits in History
Qian Mu | Jiuzhou Press | ?68.00 | Apr 2013 | ISBN 9787510812873 China has a long history witnessing numerous revolutions and transformations of dynasties. This makes who study history can only bemoan their insignificance in the face of it.， those who read history have no idea of emphasis but to shrink back. While Doctor Qian Mu， author of Chinese Spirits in History， solves all these difficulties with his broad and profound knowledge of history and acute analytical capability， providing a chance for people to catch a glimpse of the innermost recess of Chinese historical culture. The book not only teaches you all the historical concepts in a short time but also helps you to understand the 5，000-year historical spirits of China， thus making us clear about the historical mission and the direction that we should move towards.
Treasury of Chinese Classics （20 Vol. Set）
Pei Boyan | China Friendship Publishing Company | ?570.00 | Mar 2013
Treasury of Chinese Classics is a collection of classics selected from 250，000 ancient books that best represent Chinese culture. More than 50 famous experts and scholars rewrite， annotate and comment these ancient classics in a vivid and influent style of writing. The book is lucid， interesting and close to life and always explains complex theories with simple words. It has been selling well in Taiwan for more than 30 years. Anyone Chinese who receives education in middle school can read it.
It is acknowledged by majorities scholars engaged in the research of Chinese culture that Chinese culture is human-oriented and it cares about， participate in and reflects life. No matter it is the philosophies in the Spring and Autumn and Warring period， or classics transmission in the Han and Jin Dynasties， or essays on morality written by Han Yu， Liu Zongyuan， Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi， or argumentations on human nature of Cheng Hao， Cheng Yi， Zhu Xi， Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming； no matter it is the worrying sigh of the nobility Qu Yuan or the epiphany of woodcutter Huineng， no matter it is the poems and operas sung by our ancestors or the story-telling dialects and novels talked by the villagers， they are all full of an intensely ordinary characteristics， rustic fragrance and human relations. But as a heritor of Chinese culture， a modern Chinese people， how much do we know about this broad civilization that cares and loves its people and the cultural that has shaped and protected us？ The popular western civilization is guiding the considerations and common practices of intellects. The popularization of TV program， films and mass media has shaped a life style that is dominated by sensory culture where social values are still floating. We have already been dazzled by the radiation circle of superior culture that is criticized by scholars of communications and lost our self-ego and creativity before our nature becomes stable. ——Master Yancan， Vice President of Hebei Buddhism Association
Encyclopedia of Chinese Culture （Spanish Edition）
Ji Yemo | Foreign Language Press | ?198.00 | Sep 2013 | ISBN 9787119084619
There are about 600，000 words and 650 entries in Encyclopedia of Chinese Culture. When planning and designing the book， Foreign Language Press conducted a full research on overseas market. The book is written by a Spanish writer who has an in-depth knowledge on Chinese culture. Compared with the other existing Spanish book translated and edited in China， the book has a strong force of expression and its style of writing also matches the reading habit of Spanish readers. Besides， the book covers a wide range of scope. The 650 entries that are arranged in Spanish alphabetical order involve many aspects of Chinese culture， such as， The Water Margin， abacus， fan， acupuncture and moxibustion， potting， stone forest， bronze ware， Buddhism， Cao Cao， The Analects of Confucius， Spring Festival， match marker and the Five Elements. The selection of entries and filtration of contents are both independently done by the author. He has chosen some contents that might interest foreign readers from a perspective of a foreigner， freeing the materials and purposes from the conventional concepts and standards of foreign publications published by China and can better meet the foreign readers’ demands on culture psychology and knowledge.
Chinese Folklore Culture Series
Dong Qiang （Editor） | Anhui People’s Publishing House | ?33.00. | Oct 2013 | ISBN 9787212062422
In a society full of western culture， Chinese folklore culture may be on the wane from the memory of readers. Published by Anhui People’s Publishing House with the help of Dong Qiang from School of Society of Soochow University who has studied Chinese folklore for years， the bilingual edition of Chinese Folklore Culture Series（5 Vol. Set ） is now commercially available.
The series comprise five books of “marriage， residence， diet， festival and funeral”. The books are well illustrated and written in simple clear language.
Marriage. In China， there are diversities of wedding traditions in complex ritual， and each ethnic minority has its own nuances， which adds to the charm of Chinese wedding culture. Based on substantial references and the latest achievements in folklore study， the book elaborates the origin， evolution and characteristics of Chinese wedding culture. It makes clear the presentation and evolution of each ethnic minority’s marriage custom， using historical anecdotes， mythologies， folktales， etc. in a lively and vivid instead of abstruse way. Residence. The book fully introduces the various and colorful settlements and building forms， and elaborates the long-standing history and unique charm of the Chinese traditional folk house. “Some reside in bamboo house， some house on water， some put their house on horseback， and some enjoy the purest gift from nature in cave house”. Focused on the life habits， space layouts， architectures， etc.， of residences across China， it introduces some typical and widely covering examples， especially the architectural styles and features of each ethnic minority.
Diet. The book portrays the unique dietetic culture of each ethnic minority. In the course of history， Chinese people in different places have formed their preferences for diet. The staple food varies in south （rice） and north （noodles）， and the non-staple food includes snacks and cakes which vary with places as “sour， sweet， spicy and salty”. The Chinese dietetic culture is closely linked with not only “the philosophy of yin and yang and five elements， the Confucian ethic morals and the theory of health care in Chinese medicine”， but also the culture， art， aesthetic fashion and national characteristics， etc.
Festival. It deals with the long-standing Chinese traditional festival. With informative references， in-depth analyses and humorous wordings， the book unfolds the forming process and origin of Chinese traditional festival， the similarities， differences， features and cultural connotations among ancient and modern festival customs.
Funeral. The book discusses the unique funeral culture formed in Middle Earth. Chinese funeral custom contains both the essence of national culture and the dross from ancient society， especially the hierarchy and superstition in feudal society. Funeral resulted from the concept of soul. The Chinese concept of soul is the immortality of soul， which means the soul of someone will live on after death， and keep benefiting the offspring. That resulted in the unique Chinese funeral customs such as proper burial， abundant offerings and longtime offerings. Aiming at introducing the ritual and culture of Chinese funeral and uncovering the funeral customs and taboos of each ethnic minority， the book provides readers with a window whereby they can get a full understanding of the secret of Chinese funeral culture.
As Water Flows
Wang Yuewen | Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House | ?22.00 | Jul 2012 | ISBN 9787540455996
Exploration of traditional culture essence in folklore Since the success of his Courtyard in Autumn Wind 18 years ago， Wang Yuewen has grown into a mature writer. His novels covering a wide range of knowledge： both have the Chinese Painting， which made him gain popularity， and the historical novel of Chancellor in Qing Dynasty， and even a romantic fiction—The Dead Bird.
As Water Flows is the exploration of traditional culture essence in folklore. Yu and Hui--the two protagonists therein—are not traditional “gentlemen” but ordinary famers. Although in a low status， they both share the characteristics of a gentleman. They work conscientiously and keep improving their professions. Carpentry is turned into art by Yu， who specializes in both carpentry and farm work. While Hui delivers babies and makes up the dead body meticulously to express her love for human being. They love their neighbors as themselves， and are courteously self-disciplined. Besides， it’s easy for a man and a woman—both are single—to fall in love with each other in daily interactions， but they help， appreciate and care each other with a certain distance. The most admirable is that they are neither humble nor pushy. If something or someone goes wrong with them， they will argue strongly on just grounds. The traditional Chinese culture kills a great deal of humanity in Chinese people， but the two characters survive and live freely in China. That’s exactly the original findings of the author.
The novel goes in a day-to-day narrative， covering smoothly and logically the food， clothing and other routines in life. As readers read on， poetic but heartrending flavor flows vividly out of the daily life narrated. Yu lives in the delicate log cabin built by him and surrounded by varieties of flowers all year round. On the hillside is his vegetable garden where “peppers are so many that they make the branches bend to break.” Even the Shanwotang serves as his vegetable garden， where he can go for some lactarius delicious any time he want a taste. Yu’s children are promising. Even though they don’t live with their father， they win a great honor for him. Hui has a son who is not such promising as Yu’s， but she lives a fine life all the same. Her hair flows brightly， and her clothes are neater than the others’ even with patches. Yu and Hui get along well. Yu’s daughter is born in the same year with Hui’s son， and they play together since childhood. When Yu makes wooden chairs and wooden carts， he always makes two respectively—one for Hui， and one for himself. When Hui’s father passes away without a coffin， Yu gives his own coffin away for the funeral of Hui’s father. Knowing that Hui’s son can’t afford a coffin for his mother， Yu then makes another two coffins—one for Hui and one for himself. Hui secretly prepares grave clothes for Yu and， to palliate Yu’s loneliness， come to Yu with her son on Spring Festival. The conflicts， if any， take place in only two or three scenes： Yu scolds at Cadre Lu who talks behind Hui’s back about her history； Hui hits Cadre Lu in the dark； and the follow-up of the sincere conversation between Yu and Hui. Exaggerating to impress is generally a sign of emptiness. Only mature work smells of mental calm and touching silence. This is why the book stands out among the present novels.
Family Heirloom： Chinese Wisdom in Life
Ren Xiang | New Star Press | ?480.00 | Mar 2012 | ISBN 9787513303569
Family Heirloom： Chinese Wisdom in Life book recommendation
By Jet Li
Engaged in film-making around the world， I have known the fact that children in poverty-stricken areas may not only miss the chance to go to school， but even die from malnutrition. I’m so heart-struck and shocked about that. I’ve since been wondering what I can do to help them. In 2007， I set up the One Foundation， calling upon kind-hearted people to donate little by little in a bid to help those in need across the world. Through that， I can have a deeper communication with resource owners in different countries. But I later found that many foreigners know superficially about the real China. For example， they know my Kung Fu but turn a blind eye to the inheritance and rules in Chinese martial arts； they see the good deeds and charity example of the One Foundation， but at the same time know little about the cultural deposits of kindheartedness and Great Harmony； and they love the delicious Chinese food but are ignorant of China’s vast territory and abundant resources. Chinese culture， in a word， is both deep and wide， and it’s not easy to outline the culture in Chinese life with just a few words.
Ren Xiang’s Family Heirloom： Chinese Wisdom in Life uses a clear framework trying to cover the cultural deposits in Chinese daily life. If it can be published in foreign languages， I bet foreign fans of Chinese culture will get a more specific view. So I think highly of its publication.
The series can benefit not only foreigners’ understanding of Chinese people， but also my generation and the young generation with abundant knowledge on Chinese tradition. For example， as for the elaboration of festival， food， etc.， and the idioms， proverbs， publishing， drama， poetry， maxim， figures， etc. in “words on regulating the family”， some of them may have been known by most of my generation， but once put together in a clear graph， they will act as a catch-all map which can give reference for parents’ instructing their children. Besides， the contents such as health and environmental protection in “home tips” are useful common sense for the developing China.
All income from Family Heirloom： Chinese Wisdom in Life is reportedly donated to the building of Dharma Drum Buddhist College set by Master Sheng-Yen. After publication of the simplified Chinese version， Ren Xiang chooses to have it free of royalty， in a bid to lower the cost to benefit more readers.