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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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Subtitle: Being an Authentic Record of the Religion, Philosophy, Customs and Government of the Chinese From the Earliest TimesGeneral Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1904Original Publisher: Theosophical Pub. SocietySubjects: ChinaHistory / Asia / GeneralHistory / Asia / ChinaJuvenile Nonfiction / People ... Read more

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This book is the first major reassessment of ancient Chinese religion to appear in recent years. It provides a historical investigation of broadly shared religious beliefs and goals in ancient China from the earliest period to the end of the Han Dynasty. The author makes use of recently acquired archeological data, traditional texts, and modern scholarly work from China, Japan, and the West. The overall concern of this book is to try to reach the religious mentality of the ancient Chinese in the context of personal and daily experiences. Poo deals with such problems as the definition of religion, the popular/elite controversy in methodology, and the use of "elite" documents in the study of ordinary life. ... Read more

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in-depth look at ancient Chinese religion
This is a great book. It is hard to find books on ancient Chinese religion. This book is a must for students of ancient Chinese culture.

from the back cover:
This book is the first reassesment of ancient Chinese religion to appear in recent years. It provides a historical investigation of broadly shared religious beliefs and goals in ancient China from the earliest period to the end of the Han dynasty. The author makes use of recently acquired archaeological data, traditional texts, and modern scholarly work from China, Japan, and the west. The overall concern of this book is to reach the religious mentality of the ancient Chinese in the context of personal and daily experiences. Poo deals with such problems as the definition of religion, the popular/elite controversy in methodology, and the use of "elite" documents in the study of ordinary life.

from the conclusion:

"... the central theme of the religious beliefs of the ancient Chinese was the search for personal welfare, or, to use a common saying, to seek for happiness and to avoid misfortune ... It seems clear that ordinary people had similar ideas about what constituted a happy life: to keep away from sickness, fear, and hunger. This is reflected in the common saying: "Happiness is to have no misfortunes and illnesses." ... except for perhaps a few, happiness was expected to be found not in heaven but on earth." ... Read more

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Society of the Song Dynasty. Urbanization in China,Chineseopera, Traditional Chinese holidays, Social structure ofChina, History of education in China, Chinese marriage,Chinese kinship, Religion in China, Chinese philosophy,Traditional Chinese law, Bao Zheng, Military history ofChina, Naval history of China, Jingkang Incident, Chinesearmour, Islam during the Song Dynasty. ... Read more

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This is a chronicle of Chinese thought from the third millennium sage-kings to the 1911 overthrow of the monarchical system. It focuses particularly on the most commonly known schools of Confucianism and Taoism, with insights into Mohism, "Yin-Yang", Legalism, New-Taoism and Neo-Confucianism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Wrong book- now asking me to pay for return postage.
So the last contact I got from this seller was an email asking me to return the incorrect book that they sent me.I sent an email asking for a return postage paid envelope and no answer.I've handed over my contact with this seller to Amazon, however I will be filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey.
Summary: the seller is inflexible, non-responsive, non-apologetic and has done nothing to correct their mistake.
L.

Fung's classic intro on Chinese philosophy
Fung Yu-lan (or Feng You-Lan) was one of the most important Chinese philosophers and scholars in the 20th century.His most famous accomplishment is the two-volume History of Chinese philosophy, which presents a comprehensive view of Chinese philosophy, the different schools, the trends and development through millennia, and the many historical figures and the schools of thought they each championed.This book here is an abridged version and presents the history of Chinese philosophy in a single, handy volume.Fung's writing is characterized by clarity and lucidity.He explains ideas and theories in simple, straightforward English and gives examples that can be clearly understood by laymen.As a Chinese reader, I actually found this English version more easily accessible than its Chinese version, because the Chinese one contains numerous quotes from ancient scriptures that can be hard to understand without pre-knowledge in ancient Chinese language.Here, all the quotations have been interpreted and rendered in plain English.I found this book highly enlightening and enjoyable.It remains the single best introduction on Chinese philosophy you can find today.It is a book to keep on your shelf and in your mind.

Excellence in Introducing the Subject
A short version of his longer original work, this is a great book in that it tells the history of Chinese philosophy in a systematic manner.Both fortunately and unfortunately, the content is a lot easier to absorb than any Chinese text on the subject, simply because it is written in an analytical language (English) rather then a poetic and suggestive language (Chinese), (plus reference to western philosophical terms which really helps).Highly recommended for any reader who want an introductory course on the subject.

Required reading for school, but suprisingly great!
My teacher chose to use this book as our main textbook for my Asian Philosophy class. I was surprised by how interesting it was, but more so by what an EASY read it was. The author does a fantastic job of organizing the information in a way that is easily understood and intellectually digested.

A short but very enlightning history
For the people who want to understand chinese philosophy, it is a positively simple text that allows to pinpoint all the important issues about each person that mattered in History. I recomend it to every student, every person that wants to know about philosopy and even those who are determined to elaborate deeper studies, as a start on the matter. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (12)

GREAT CONDITION!!!
the book was used but shipping was a breeze it took less than the time expected to get to my house. and overall the book was in great condition for a used book.

A great introduction to Asian philosophy
This 1969 sourcebook is the culmination of a Neo-Confucian researcher's work. The late author's philosophical leanings do not necessarily detract from its authority because he's relatively forthright about his opinions. Chan's work is commonly cited not only in the West but also in Taiwan and Hong Kong, despite the fact that wave after wave of archeological findings have illuminated these texts since this book's publication. The cloth edition of Laozi found in Mawangdui, Changsha in 1974 redefined Confucian scholarship, for instance.

This work is probably the best introduction to Chinese--indeed, Asian--philosophy I can think of. For more intensive research I like the carefully annotated originals from the Hong Kong series Zhonghua Shuju ([...]). They are conveniently organized and offer a wider variety of perspectives.

Venerable, solid, and useful
This anthology has been around seemingly forever and was one of the first books I looked into (after the original basic texts) in studying Chinese Philosophy.Since it's publication, however, a lot of work has been done in this field, and the information we have in the West has increased manifold.
The text is excellent in covering the basics, which it presents in a very straightfoward, if not somewhat regimented manner. The basics are definitely here - organized for accessiblity. The history is comprehensive - if not deep, precise - if somewhat lacking in interpretive subtlety. As other reviewers have noted, Chan seems to be more sensitive to his own perspective in the space that he allows to other schools of thought (although he admirably includes them all). The Sourcebook is perfect for the one or two page synopsis of key ideas.Every key concept and figure is at least mentioned.
However, if one's interest in primarily in the roots of Chinese thought, especially the incredible "hundred schools period", one ought to consider A.C. Graham's masterpiece, "Disputers of the Tao" for a more engaging, searching philosophical discussion.I also have a place in my heart for the introductory essay of Waley's translation of the Tao Te Ching, "The Way and its Power".
The three texts together make for a pretty good introduction to Chinese Philosophy in translation. Chan's enduring tome is a treasure house of learning which can hardly be ignored by any student of Chinese philosophy, religion, or society.

Cover the whole history.
There are lots of references where to go for additional information and even a nice glossary of Chinese characters.

Opens the Door to the East
As a novice in Chinese and Eastern Philosophy, I began reading various books,
intent on culling the beauty of Eastern Thought. When a good friend loaned me this book, the essence of eastern thought blossomed in my mind like a flower. Wing-Tsit Chan is a true sage himself, and to be so scholarly as to translate Confucius and Lao Tzu himself is just added understanding. A rare insightful and scholarly work that I would highly recommend. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Comprehensive and profound research
Both Vol 1 and Vol 2 written by Mr Feng Yu Lan is indeed a Masterpiece of work.It covers a very wide spectrum on the Chinese roots of Philosophy and how it evolves till what the Chinese people are today.However, the writing is not so easy to be read, (font size is too small and cramped) both in terms of its content and depth.For those with vague interest in Philosophy, you may loose interest quite earlier on your reading of these books.But for those who are really keen to know more, these two volumes provide an EXCELLENT background and wealt of Knowledge! Steven Lim (RSTN) Singapore.

A Canonical Classic on Chinese Classical Learning
This book is a massive accomplishment several times over. First of all, Fung Yu-lan has taken more than 2000 years of Chinese philosophy and synthesized it into a coherent narrative, doing justice to several different systems of thought and also various philosophical differences and debates within those systems in the process. Second, Derk Bodde has translated all of this expertly into English, somehow managing to handle both Fung's scholarly modern Chinese as well as classical Chinese at several different stages in its development over the centuries as found in Fung's many and voluminous quotations and citations--not to mention dealing with a host of abstruse technical terms (the significance of which often shifts from thinker to thinker or from age to age). Third, back when this was originally written in the 1930's--actually, even when it was originally published as a paperback in 1953--almost no work whatsoever had been done on the philosophers in this book nor on their ideas; what we have here is a groundbreaking magnum opus, the foundation and inspiration for much of the fine scholarship that has followed since. Finally, the book itself is massive; this is a hefty tome, no mere pocket guide.

A word of warning, though. If you are looking for a casual, "summer reading" introduction to Chinese philosophy, this is not it. Do not, I repeat, do not take this book out to the beach intending to breeze through it while sipping a pina colada. Fung's exposition is clear and his prose straightforward, certainly, and wonderfully so, but the overall tone is extremely academic and scholarly and, well, downright dry. It's not afraid to make strenuous demands on the reader, and is clearly intended for serious students of this subject early in their investigations. But for anyone approaching this important book in that frame of mind, it'll prove immensely rewarding.

Considering that the book was originally written in the 1930's, it has aged extremely well, too. Fung's judgment is on the whole fair and objective, and the philosophers he includes are generally ones anyone today would still recognize as key figures in Chinese philosophy. That said, it gradually becomes clear that Fung generally favors the Confucianists over the Taoists and the Buddhists, and he has a sort of early 20th-century assurance of some stark, value-laden divide between "philosophy" and "superstition" or between "science" and "supernaturalism" (former "good" and latter "bad" of course) and will sometimes anachronistically nitpick his thinkers for not being scientific and rational enough by his standards. Given Fung's timeframe, though, this slight bias is perfectly understandable and can be taken with a grain of salt without really detracting from the book as a whole. In general, Fung does an excellent job of presenting the reader with a very reliable basic overview of Chinese philosophy.

To give some indication of the contents of the book, here's a rough breakdown by chapter:
Chapter 1: A kind of general overview and introduction
Chapter 2: Tung Chung-shu and the New Text School of Confucianism
Chapter 3: Prognostication texts, Apocrypha, and Numerology during the Han Dynasty (Fung gets really annoyed with this stuff)
Chapter 4: Yang Hsiung, Wang Ch'ung, and the Old Text School of Confucianism
Chapter 5: Neo-Taoism during the Disunity Period (especially Wang Pi)
Chapter 6: Neo-Taoism again (especially Hsiang Hsiu and Kuo Hsiang)
Chapter 7: Buddhism and its critics during the Disunity Period (especially Seng-chao and Tao-sheng)
Chapter 8: Buddhism during the Sui and T'ang Dynasties (especially Chi-tsang, Hsuan-tsang, and Fa-tsang)
Chapter 9: More Sui and T'ang Buddhism (the T'ien-T'ai and Ch'an schools)
Chapter 10: The Rise of Neo-Confucianism (mainly Han Yu and Li Ao)
Chapter 11: Chou Tun-yi and Shao Yung
Chapter 12: Chang Tsai and the Ch'eng Brothers
Chapter 13: Chu Hsi ('nuff said)
Chapter 14: Lu Chiu-yuan, Wang Shou-jen (better known as Wang Yangming), and Ming Idealism
Chapter 15: The Continuation of Neo-Confucianism in the Ch'ing Dynasty (Han learning vs. Sung learning, and Tai Chen)
Chapter 16: The New Text School at the end of the Ch'ing Dynasty (including K'ang Yu-wei, T'an Ssu-t'ung, and Liao P'ing)

Again, if you are seriously interested in Chinese philosophy and are willing to knuckle down and tackle the subject for real, then this book is for you. If you are a graduate student specializing in this subject, well, this is a foundational text in your field so you might as well get it and start reading already--chances are high it'll be on your qualifying orals exam anyway, so get a head start. And if you're a professor in Western philosophy, this would be a great way to really acquaint yourself with what folks outside of Europe were doing in the way of having a love for wisdom.

By the way, this is volume two of a set, of course. There is also a volume one covering all the major early philosophers of China, A History of Chinese Philosophy, Vol. 1: The Period of the Philosophers (from the Beginnings to Circa 100 B. C.). There's also a more user-friendly digest version combining both volumes into a shorter overview, Short History Of Chinese Philosophy. ... Read more

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This comprehensive introductory textbook to early Chinese philosophy covers a range of philosophical traditions which arose during the Spring and Autumn (722-476 BCE) and Warring States (475-221 BCE) periods in China, including Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, and Legalism. It considers concepts, themes and argumentative methods of early Chinese philosophy and follows the development of some ideas in subsequent periods, including the introduction of Buddhism into China. The book examines key issues and debates in early Chinese philosophy, cross-influences between its traditions and interpretations by scholars up to the present day. The discussion draws upon both primary texts and secondary sources, and there are suggestions for further reading. This will be an invaluable guide for all who are interested in the foundations of Chinese philosophy and its richness and continuing relevance. ... Read more

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Argues that Confucianism can be important to the contemporary, global conversation of philosophy and should not be confined to an East Asian context.

Is it possible to be a Confucian without being East Asian, as so many philosophers have been Platonists without being Greek? Strangely enough, many scholars would answer in the negative, citing the inextricable connection between Confucianism and East Asian culture. Boston Confucianism argues to the contrary, maintaining that Confucianism can be important to the contemporary global conversation of philosophy and should not be confined to an East Asian context. It promotes a multicultural philosophy of culture and makes a contribution to Confucian-Christian dialogue, showing that the relations among the world's great civilizations today is not a "clash," as Samuel Huntington has argued, but an entanglement whose roots are worth sorting and whose contemporary mutual developments are worth promoting. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Intellectually interesting, but lacking in practical applications
I very much enjoyed this book.What I liked best was being introduced to the work of Dr. Tu Wei-Ming.The references gave me many works to study, which I appreciated.I became very interested in how an American could apply Confucianism to his or her life, but this book is not about practical applications of Confucianism.For that I recommend another book: "Achieve Lasting Happiness, Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Life" by Robert Canright.

Can you be a Christian and a Confucian?
The author is attempting to define a form of Confucianism for non-Chinese. One of the main problems is translating the Confucian notion of ritual/etiquette into Western ideas. Neville relies on Fingarette's study, "Confucius The Secular as Sacred" to do this: basically by using a much wider concept of ritual, referring to all the *signs* in our relationships: signs of friendship, love, commitment... it goes beyond courtesy, to a definition of roles in relationships, although these can be very flexible.
Next Neville, who is a Christian, attempts to reconcile Confucianism and Christianity, and to do this he looks for some form of transcendence (an absolute beyond the perceptible phenomena) in Confucianism to match the transcendent Christian God: Hall & Ames have shown that such a transcendence does not exist in early Confucianism and I don't think that Neville succeeds in proving that they are wrong. He does point though to the Neo-Confucian concept of "principle" that is transcendent since it structures all things and man. This then could be a bridge towards Christianity.
Well the great thinkers (Neville, Hall & Ames) have given us a green light: we can be Western Confucians!
Thomas ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Profound and Comprehensive
Mr Fung Yu-Lan's writing is very comprehensive and profound.It gives a very good background knowledge on the Chinese Philosophy throughout the ages and what really shapes Chinese to behave, act and think they way they do in the current context.There is a lot of differences between Western Philosophy and that of Chinese per se. Good read but have to digest slowly.Not a book to be read at one go. Pause and think as you read.Mr Fung is perhaps, in my opinion, one very knowledgeable researcher and writer on this said topic. Bravo!Steven Lim (RSTN).

A monument when it first appeared, but no longer
This book represents at least as great an accomplishment for the translator, Derk Bodde, as it does for the author, Fung Yu-lan, because Bodde rendered into English not only Fung's text in modern Chinese, but also countless passages in classical Chinese that Fung used to illustrate his points.For a generation, this was the foremost, if not the only, guide to Chinese philosophy in the English language.
Now that is no longer the case, and time has not been kind.Fung's interpretations are often outdated--it is important to bear in mind that he revised his thinking many times over the course of his life, and this collection does not contain his final views; moreover, the materials surveyed reflect scholarly interests from several decades ago.In particular, there is a noticeable emphasis on scholastic philosophy.Writings from beyond the high orthodoxy tend to get short shrift.
The two volumes are still handy as an overview of the long and engrossing history of Chinese philosophy, but unless one reads them in conjunction with more recent studies, they are likely to present a misleading picture.

An influential but now outdated work.
This book is one of a two-volume set.This volume covers ancient Chinese philosophy up to 100 B.C. (i.e., the period of Confucius, Lao Tzu, and others).Volume two covers later Chinese philosophy.Fung Yu-lan wrote the original work in Chinese.Derk Bodde, a noted Sinologist in his own right, did an excellent job of translating the work into English.(This was no small feat, since Fung quotes from a variety of works from over two thousand years of Chinese history -- works often written in quite different styles of Classical Chinese.)

Fung Yu-lan was one of the most important Chinese philosophers and historians of philosophy of the 20th century.This book (along with volume two) has introduced generations of scholars and general readers to Chinese philosophers, and is justly considered a classic.However, it is now very much out of date.Furthermore, Fung studied in the U.S., and this influence led him to read a sort of Platonism back into some Chinese philosophical texts.

Any informed scholar should have a copy of this (in English and in Chinese), but the general reader would be better off reading Benjamin Schwartz's _The World of Thought in Ancient China_ or A.C. Graham's _Disputers of the Tao_.

History of Chinese Philosophy at its best
This book comes in two volumes, volume one writes about the history of Chinese philosophy from antiquity to before the Han period while the second volume deals with Han learning onwards to Prof. Fung's time, i.e. early20th century.

The style of Prof. Fung's writing differs from many authorsof history of philosophy whereby he allows the philosophers to speak forthemselves by quoting their work and integrating it into his own narrativeand analysis. The result is a study which is informative, intellectual, andat the same time accessable. I have yet to see a better book on history ofChinese philosophy in the English language (although Wing Tsit Chan's"Sourcebook of Chinese Philosophy" is good but the analysis isnot as succint and well interpreted as Fung's).

This book, however, canbe heavy for the first timer who has just got himself/herself interested inChinese philosophy and would like to read up more on it. For people whofalls into this category, a more accessable book and to the same highquality is Dr. Fung's shorter work, "A Short History of ChinesePhilosophy", also available in Amazon.com. This shorter history dealswith the main philosophers, the more important ones and leave out the moreremote philosopher. Dr, Fung also limited the number of quotes associatedwith the philosopher. Although this is so, it is still a first class work.This longer history is suitable for people who has some knowledge alreadyand wants to know more, go deeper. It is suitable for people doing a coursein Chinese philosophy in college.

If you're really into Chinesephilosophy, please do not miss this book. ... Read more

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Chinese and Western thinkers consider the Chinese philosophical tradition and Chinese philosophy for the contemporary global era. ... Read more

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Explores the new literary and interpretive milieu that emerged in the years following the decline of China's Han dynasty. ... Read more

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This book brings together the studies of Jeaneane Fowler in Taoism, Chinese popular religion and the broader canvas of Chinese cosmogony, and those of Merv Fowler in Confucianism, Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism. "Chinese Religions" requires no previous knowledge and thereby serves as an introduction to the religions of China, and places it in the wider context of Chinese history and philosophy. The facets of Chinese religions are as broad, multilayered and varied as the geographical vastness of China itself, yet so many Chinese beliefs have found their way into the West - the theory of yin and yang, the I Ching, the Tao Te Ching are good examples. One of the greatest characteristics of Chinese religions is that they encompass virtually every avenue of religious thought throughout the long span of Chinese pre-historic and historical pathways. ... Read more

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For centuries, westerners have referred to China's numerous traditions of spiritual expression as "religious"--a word born of western thought that cannot completely characterize the passionate writing that fills the pages of this pathbreaking anthology.

The first of its kind in well over thirty years, this text offers the student of Chinese ritual and cosmology the broadest range of primary sources from antiquity to the modern era. Readings are arranged chronologically, and cover such concepts as Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and even communism. A large number of the selections concern the role of the female in Chinese religion, and are either by or about women. Through invocations, poetry, drama, philosophical texts, religious treatises, and modern fiction, students hear the voices of numerous Chinese masters expounding on the movements and traditions that inspired them: the mysterious Tao-te ching of Lao Tzu, cloaked in the mists of deepest antiquity; the Analects of stately, reverent Confucius; "Nailing a Stick into Empty Space," from The Recorded Conversations of Ch'an Master I-hsuan, and many others, including the work of Mencius, Pan Chao, Han Shan, Chang Tsai, Wang Yang-ming, Lu Hsun, and Mao Tse-tung. Fully one third of the translations are new, and each reading is preceded by an introduction that explains its importance and salient features. Complete with a helpful chronology of dynasties and list of possible video sources, this remarkable volume collects under one cover the most significant and influential works of China's dynamic spiritual tradition, making a fundamental contribution to courses in Chinese religion, literature, and history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a student's guide and helper
Shaughnessy is the gold standard for research in the Chinese classics. This is NOT a coffee table book, but a serious research tool for the serious student. If you are interested in the subject you will wwant to ownthis as a part of your library. That said, the etymology in the book isthorough and well documented. His analysis of the early Chinese writingsystems is focused, at times eveen exhausting to the non-student, but sogood that you will be glad you made the effort. READ THE FOOTNOTES!Otherwise, you really are not geting your money's worth.The BambooBooks, Classic of Changes, Venerated Documents, Classic of Poetry, haveprobably never been this well explained to the English speaking student. Enjoy! ... Read more