What is Spotlight on China? When we received funding from the US Dept of Education Title VI program for this project, we decided to develop a resource guide which would attempt to update the available classroom ready materials about China. Several important decisions had to be made.

The popular tradition of China is closely related to the classical tradition, and unquestionably the two traditions - that of the educated elite and that of the common people—have mutually inspired and reinforced each other from their inception.

Popular religion and traditional belief systems differ from the classical framework. In China both are able to co-exist, often supporting each other.

Tu Tzu-ch’un lived at the time when the great Sui Dynasty was founded. In his youth he was a devil-may-care sort who never troubled himself to preserve the family’s property. With his easy going, self-indulgent temperament, and his taste for wine and dissolute company, he soon squandered his resources.

Poetry was also part of the “People’s Tradition.” Although people might not be literate, they were able to recite poetry from memory. These poems show how the shaman sets out to summon the soul, to call him home to do his duty.

Understanding food in Chinese culture is essential to understanding China. As primarily an agricultural society, Chinese life is very much centered around cultivating food both for subsistence and profit. Furthermore, flood and famine have historically threatened the availability of food.