Foreword 1
Chapter 1 Myths and Legends 3
1．How the World Was Created 3
2．The Dog from the Sky 7
3．Shooting down the Sun 10
4．The Old Man under the Moon 13
5．Zhaojun the Peace Ambassador 16
6．The Brotherhood of Liu-Guan-Zhang 19
7．Joining the Army for Her Father—Mulan 22
8．The Butterfly Lovers 25
9．The White Lady 28
Chapter 2 Festivals and Folklore1．The Spring and Yuanxiao Festivals 33
2．The Qingming and Hanshi Festivals 37
3．The Dragon Boat Festival 40
4．The Qixi Festival 43
5．The Mid-Autumn Festival 46
6．The 24 Solar Terms and the Chinese Calendar 49
7．The Interesting Story of the 12 Zodiac Animals 53
8．Yin-Yang and the Five Elements 56
Chapter 3 Scenic Spots and Historic Sites1．The Yellow River 61
2．The Yangtze River 64
3．The East and West Mountains 67
4．The Yellow Mountain 70
5．The West Lake and Tai Hu 72
6．The Great Wall 76
7．The Forbidden City 78
8．The Ming Tombs 80
9．The Capital ofthe Ten Dynasties—Xi'an 82
10．The Qin Terracotta Warriors 85
Chapter 4 Food and Sports 89
1．The Wide Variety ofChinese Cuisine 89
2．Table Manners and Dining in China 93
3．Wine Culture 97
4．Tea Culture 101
5．Martial Arts and Sports 105
Chapter 5 Arts and Crafts 111
1．Chinese Pottery and Porcelain 111
2．Precious Stones of China 115
3．Needlework and Paper-cuts 118
4．The Four Treasures ofa Study 122
5．Chinese Paintings 125
6．Architectural Beauty 129
Chapter 6 Language and Literature1．National Language and Local Dialects 135
2．Fascinating Chinese Characters 138
3．The Three Great Poets—Li,Du and Su 141
4．Romance of the Three Kingdoms and All Men Are Brothers 145
5．Journey to the West and Dream ofthe Red Chamber 149
Chapter 7 Thought and Enlightenment1．The Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought 155
2．Confucius the First Private Teacher 158
3．Talent Recruitment Systems 162
4．Filial Piety and Marriage 165
5．Taoism and the Harmony with Nature 169
6．Buddhism and the Truth of Life 173
Chapter 8 China and the World 179
1．Fifty-six Ethnic Groups as a Nation 179
2．China's Expansion and Its Interactions with the West 182
3．Prosperity and the Spread of Buddhism 186
4．Communication between China and the World 189
5．The Four Great Inventions 192
6．Other Scientific and Medical Breakthroughs 195
7．New Culture Movement 199
Appendix 202
A Brief Chronology of Chinese History 202