Chinese influence on the material and spiritual life of the modern world is becoming ever more noticeable, yet people in other countries still know almost nothing about China and its culture. Based on this undeniable fact, Cambridge sinologist Ru(l) S t erks offers a concise but solid outline of the history of Chinese thought—political, social, philosophical, religious, ecological, and more. He handles his material masterfully, painting a holistic and, above all, living picture of the Chinese worldview. S terks’s superbly written work helps you understand what it means to perceive the world “the Chinese way” and live in it “the Chinese way.” In 2020 the author became the recipient of the annual Hessel-Tilltman British Prize, awarded for the best scholarly popular history book published in English.
“Chinese thought is wholly oriented toward the human being and the practice of one’s life. The major questions that occupied the best minds of China were not ‘Who are we’ and ‘What are we,’ but rather how we ought to live our lives, how we are connected to other people, how we should organize society, and how we should secure the well-being of those who live with us and whom we are responsible for.”
“The best way to characterize Chinese thought is to point out everything that it isn’t.”