padded jackets and black cotton-soled shoes with pet birds in bamboo cages in the same park where young men dressed like NBA stars are playing basketball, a back alley in Beijing where people still burn coal bricks to stay warm in the winter just around the corner from a high-rise luxury hotel. Although eating Western fast food is a status statement in China, the vast majority of Chinese still prefer traditional Chinese food prepared the same way it has been for centuries. While many Chinese have embraced Western culture, young people still bow to the wishes of their parents, pay their respects to their ancestors and are fiercely proud of their long history and culture.
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IN CHINA
I first went to China in 1985 as a college student to study Chinese. Before that, I had lived in Hong Kong, which whetted my appetite to see the real China. After a long flight from San Francisco, full of Chinese men smoking hand-rolled cigarettes, we landed in Shanghai, spent the night there, then boarded the train the next morning for Nanjing where I would be studying at Nanjing University. It was immediately apparent that this was not the Westernized Hong Kong I knew. Back then, China had a raw, rough quality about it. At the same time, it had an aura of deep history and cultural richness that immediately attracted me. The streets were teeming with bicycles and people but very few cars, and everyone was dressed in dark blue or green Mao outfits. Although I was expecting a dour, downtrodden people who had just a few years earlier survived the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese were happy, open and generous. I felt at home.
Relaxing in a traditional garden in Suzhou, spring 1985.
A cheerful taxi driver plying his trade.
The glass and steel skyscraper-studded Shanghai skyline.
Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba Group, a giant Internet company, giving a speech in Hangzhou.
Young people enjoying themselves at the international outdoor Yoga Midi Music Festival, Huaxi Park, Guiyang Province.
CHAPTER 1
CHINA PAST AND PRESENT
China has the longest continuous history of any country on earth with a standardized writing system that has been in use since around 1000 BCE. China’s famous historical and mythological figures are well known in and outside of China and Chinese philosophies are revered the world over. The Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Warriors are Chinese icons recognized by everyone all over the world. China’s past has created a fascinating backdrop for China’s emergence in the modern world.
HISTORICAL AND MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURES WHO STILL MATTER TODAY
Although some of China’s famous historical and mythological figures, such as Confucius and Laozi, are well known around the world, many are unknown to us in the West. Many famous and important people from China, is past—from emperors and philosophers to military generals and poets—are still revered in China today.
CONFUCIUS
Confucius (551–479 BCE) is the most celebrated figure in China’s history. He was a philosopher, educator and reformer. His thought and philosophy form the basis of Confucian or Ru thought in China and the entire moral codes of China and other East Asian countries like Japan and Korea. Whereas in the West we follow Judeo-Christian ethics, in China people live by a Confucian code of ethics.
Confucian philosophy is rooted in the concept of ren or compassion and love for others. This involves deprecating yourself as you show concern for others. Confucius’s golden rule was ‘What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.’ He also believed in the importance of reciprocal relationships: ruler to subject, father to son, husband to wife, brother to brother and friend to friend. In each relationship there is responsibility on the side of both parties. For example, a husband treats his wife with kindness and she, in return, is obedient and loyal. One’s place and status in society are also important. Confucius’s sayings were collected by his disciples and compiled into a book called The Analects.
LAOZI
Laozi, literally ‘old master’, was an ancient Chinese philosopher who is said to have written the short book Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), often translated as Classic of the Way and Virtue. According to Chinese tradition, he was a brilliant thinker who lived in the 6th century BCE during the Zhou Dynasty and was from the state of Chu (present-day Hunan). But there is no hard evidence that he even existed. In religious Taoism he is considered a god. According to early historical records, he was a contemporary of Confucius who consulted him regarding mourning and funeral rites. Confucius praised his wisdom. After Laozi witnessed the decline of the Zhou kingdom, he wandered off to the far northwest border of China. There he met an official at the border crossing who asked him to write down his teachings, whereupon in 5,000 characters he wrote the meaning of dao or ‘the way’ and virtue. He is much revered in China as the founder of Taoist philosophy and religious Taoism.
EMPEROR QIN SHI HUANG
Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BCE) was the first emperor of China and ruled over the short-lived Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE). He was the ruler of one (Qin) of seven states in China that were vying for power at the time. He was successful in conquering and unifying the other states and creating the first unified kingdom in China. To unify the empire, he instituted reforms and models, such as standardizing the written script, coinage and axle width, which improved the road system. He also began construction of a wall that later evolved into the Great Wall. For all the good he did, he was a ruthless ruler who regularly executed scholars who did not agree with his policies. Thousands of young men were also forced to work constructing the Great Wall as well as his elaborate mausoleum, which includes the famous Terracotta Warriors.
THE MONKEY KING
The Monkey King is the central character in the classic novel Journey to the West (also translated as Monkey), written in the 16th century by Wu Cheng’en. The story is based on the legendary journey of the Buddhist monk Xuan Zang to India to obtain sacred Buddhist texts. In this fantastical fictionalized account, four guardians accompany him on his journey. One of them is Sun Wukong, a monkey born from a stone nourished by the five elements. He has magical powers that allow him to fly, transform himself into other beings and be immortal. The story is hugely popular all over the Chinese-speaking world and there have been countless adaptations, from comic books to movies, TV series, plays and video games.
CAO CAO AND ZHUGE LIANG
Cao Cao was the emperor of the kingdom of Wei during the Three Kingdoms Period (220–280 CE). He fought to reunify China and was successful in northern China. His
