This book gives ample clues to the Chinese mind. It traces the roots of Chinese outlook, clarifies reasons behind rituals, offers for close inspection the value of `face', the need for the arts and helps give understanding to the Chinese conduct of business. For many millions of overseas Chinese, whose forefathers came and settled in an adopted land, Chinese culture or tradition remains merely a "practice," a mode of life or behavior. They have little or no understanding of what these traditions mean or how they came about.

In this book, the author records for the benefit of present and future generations a wide spectrum of traditional Chinese cultural practices and beliefs, emphasizing throughout how and why they developed, and how these have evolved over time. This is truly a record of the author's knowledge of a lifetime. He has lived and grown up under the shadow of Chinese Culture. China developed an unbroken culture for thousands of years and, although many elements of Chinese culture today were not found in ancient times, and many elements of ancient times are not found today, Chinese culture is the better and richer for it.

A culture will be poor and backward if it is rigid and unwilling to absorb the good and practical from other cultures. Chinese culture is rich and enduring precisely because of its practical wisdom and absorbing power. This book should prove to be of great interest to Chinese searching for ways to maintain their cultural roots in the contemporary world. For others who want to understand Chinese culture, it takes them through from the days of yore when Chinese culture was molded to contemporary practices and beliefs.