Essential Knowledge of Chinese Culture

Drawing lessons from the past to illuminate the present, this book uses accessible prose and clear organization to introduce eighteen aspects of Chinese society over several thousand years: marriage, clan systems, forms of government, social classes, property, official institutions, the selection of officials, taxation, military systems, criminal law, industry, currency, clothing and food, housing and transportation, education, language and writing, scholarship, and religion. It is a rare and classic introduction to Chinese cultural history.