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第五屆台菲學術交流研討會: 數位人文與 文化研究 2012 Fifth Taiwan-Philippines Academic Conference: Digital Humanities and Cultural Studies Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu Abstract Traditional Chinese culture has been heralded as a gift from the divine since the ancient times. It has been passed from generation to generation for its glorious five thousand years. Traditional Chinese culture can be roughly divined into divine culture before 2,500 years ago and cultivation culture in the second half of 5,000 years. Three main faiths: Confucianism, Tao School and Buddhism have constituted the Chinese Divine culture and influenced every aspect of Chinese people’s core values, attitudes and behaviors. Traditional Chinese culture teaches people to care for others, society and respect the nature, and follow the rule of Heaven. The culture believes that good begets rewards and evil is punished. The more gives away, the more rewards. Hence, doing good is encouraged. In this research, the concept of Chinese cultivation culture is framed and truthfulness, compassion as well as tolerance are conceptualized as the essential of Chinese Divine culture. The Chinese Divine culture encourages personal moral behaviors and influences personal core values and drives human beings’ ethical attitudes. Keywords: Divine Culture, Chinese Divine Culture, Traditional Chinese culture, Cultivation Culture, Ethics, Morality Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin and Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu 5,000 Years of Civilization: Traditional Chinese Culture Chinese Divine culture, also recognized as traditional Chinese culture and Chinese cultivation culture, has its roots in Chinese society for thousands of years. It has influenced every Chinese's core value and form their attitudes and behaviors and has spawned a rich and profound system of values. Chinese divine culture can be referred to the "Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (三皇五帝)" period before 2,500 years ago. The Chinese cultivation culture encompassing the teachings of Confucianism (儒), Taoism (道) and Buddhism (釋). Confucianism advocates ethics and five cardinal virtues; Tao school values heavenly will and follows the spirits of truthfulness. Buddha school insists compassion. Chinese culture laid the foundation for all of mankind's culture, ways of thinking, and ways of behaving, and it was God that systematically created all of it (Li, 2007/4/7). In Western art history, the earliest paintings were discovered in church (Lee, 2008a:48), while the oldest song which can be dated back to approximately 1,400 B.C. contains a hymn to the moon God's wife (Kilmer, Crocker and Brown, 1976). In the history of Eastern art, the subjects of sculpture and paintings in earlier times were the high Deities (Lee, 2008a:48). Dance and music were the gifts from the Divine (Wang, 2011:44). It could be said that arts, performing arts and music in ancient China were, originally, humans’ honor and gratitude to the high Deities (Lee, 2008a:48; Wang, 2011:44). Divinely Inspired Culture Since antiquity, Chinese culture has been heralded as a gift from the Divine (Cheng, 2012:1). In ancient times, China had been regarded as the “Celestial Empire (天國)” or “Divine Land (神洲),” namely empire of heaven where the Divine and mortal once coexisted. In ancient Chinese legends, there were deities who passed on to humans essential elements of culture. Chinese culture is thus known as “divinely inspired.” The Classic of Mountains and Seas (third century B.C. to second century A.D., 《山海經》) and Huai Nan Zi ( 《淮南子》 ), two famous Chinese ancient treasures, describe the natural holism and records of the Divine and humankind co-existence stories. Pangu Deity created the heaven and the earth (盤古開天) and Nuwa Deity created humanity (女媧造人). After that, Cangjie Deity created the Chinese characters (倉頡造字); Shennong identified of hundreds of medicinal herbs and imparted agriculture (神農氏教人醫療與農耕); Fuxi’s taught humanity how to fish, hunt as well as farm (伏羲氏教人漁獵畜牧), and Suiren revealed the use of fire (燧人氏 發明火) (Epoch Group, 2005:120). During this period of time, these celestial beings with supernormal abilities kept passing on essential cultural forms and skills to humankind. In ancient books such as A Biography of Immortals (《神仙傳》), Dan Jing (《丹 經》), Tao Zang (《道藏》), or Xingming Guizhi (《性命圭旨》), we can always read Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture “levitation in broad daylight (白日飛升)” which means that a person can levitate in broad daylight (Lee, 2000:328). They were celestial beings. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the daughter of Yellow Emperor (also called “The Huangdi,” or 黃帝 or 軒轅黃帝), Ba (魃) was a drought deity who had helped her father with her mighty power of fire to repel the invasion from tyrannical Chiyou(蚩尤)(Chang, 2001/12/14). Many of Chinese people’s greatest achievements in science and the humanities were ascribed to the Deities. It has also left behind countless literary classics, historical documents, cultural relics, and national records reflecting its immense scope (Shen Yun Performing Arts, 2012). Chinese Divine culture has created a splendid civilization. China's literal meaning is Middle Kingdom(中原)which espouses the thought that the world is formed in which China is the center. When the history began, the highest Deities incarnated to the human world and became emperors and executive officials. The emperors were then referred to the sons of Heaven (天子) and born to govern the nation. Through various dynasties, the belief of the Heaven and Divine had been transmitted to a rich and abundant culture to the Chinese. “The Chinese concept of ‘dynasty’ is different from that of ‘country,’ just as the concept of ‘emperor’ is different from that of ‘king’ as found in other countries. ‘Dynasty’ stands for a period of mankind’s history, and there is a big difference between ‘emperor’ and ‘king.’ An emperor is the lord of the imperial court, the king of kings; under him are kings. So long as a country was under imperial rule, its king would have been appointed as such by an edict from the emperor, with even the successor of that king having to be designated by the emperor to be legitimate. This owes to the fact that China was the portal through which the different heavenly kingdoms descended to earth to become human; it was the main court to which they came to establish karmic ties in and to govern (quoted from Lee, 2011/7/16:21). Cultivation Culture Yellow Emperor was the first emperor of Chinese history over five thousand years ago. He had devoted himself entirely to the cultivation of the Tao, and was said to have supernormal power and wisdom. Yellow Emperor owned the ability of levitation in broad (成而登天) (Hsu, 2012/1/20), according to the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine (《黃帝內經》). During his lifetime, Yellow Emperor had asked for cultivation advice from seventy-two celestial beings and the most well-known was asking the Tao from Celestial Guang Cheng Zi (廣成子) who informed him the importance of morality and ethical values (Ou-Yang, 2009/1/7). The Yellow Emperor also taught his subjects how to live in accordance with the heavenly Way. During Yellow Emperor’s reign, a series of inventions were made, such as animal-drawn vehicles, silkworm rearing, spinning, weaving, and medicine. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine laid the foundation for the traditional Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin and Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu Chinese medicine. This classic was a verbal record of discussions between the Yellow Emperor and his ministers. The Yellow Emperor also taught his people how to cultivate crops in accordance with the calendar he had calculated according to nature. He had ruled ancient China for a long period of time and the country had enjoyed a powerful force, stable politics, and progressive culture (Cultural China, 2007). There had been many different schools that taught cultivation practices throughout the history of China and great numbers of historical figures who contributed to shaping the Chinese culture were practitioners of cultivation. Three main faiths — Tao school, Confucianism and Buddha school which became complementary beliefs in Chinese society have influenced Chinese values. These beliefs brought the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) to the peak of its glory and prosperity (Epoch Group, 2005:120). The Chronology of Three Main Beliefs in China When Shakyamuni’s(釋迦摩尼佛)Buddhism was introduced to China in A.D. 67, Chinese people combined Buddhist religious concepts with Taoist yin yang theory and placed them under the framework of Confucianism which has formed the bedrock of Chinese civilization. Therefore, taking away these teachings, there would be no Chinese culture. That is how essential teaching of cultivation practice(修心) is true Chinese culture. Tao School According to the Taoism, “the Will of Heaven” (or heavenly Way, Way of the Universe,天意) dominating every single physical occurrence. In Chinese history, emperors of each dynasty in Chinese history cared for their people, respected the land (society), and follow the will of Heaven (environment). It is deeply believed that the more one gives, the more individual will be rewarded tangibly (like making more money) or intangibly (like reputation). The relationship between “give” and “gain” was dominated by heavenly Will. When an individual is doing good, it will finally bring about good results. The ancient Chinese people honored and respected Heaven’s Will. They believed that when one is attuned to the Will of Heaven, one can understand human Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture affairs and act righteously, because the Will of Heaven governs the universe as well as nature and allows people to understand the ever-evolving human society and the rules that govern mankind’s existence. Based on that, they deduced that the principles of moral conduct should harmonize with Heaven and Nature. Following Heaven’s Way will prevent one from deviating from the righteous path (Clear Wisdom, 2009/7/3). This is normally regarded as the teachings of Tao(道). Taoism was systemized by the sage Lao Zi(老子) in his book Tao Te Ching (《道德經》) two thousand and five hundred years ago and expounded on the mysterious Way of the Universe. Taoist regards Nature as an immense being, like a Divine being. Human bodies have internal organs, blood and blood vessels; while Nature owns lakes, rivers, mountains, and oceans which can also work as a system and circulate like human body (Chi, 2012:38). According to traditional Chinese medicine, energy channels (脈) are the conduits of qi (氣)which comprise an intricate network for energy circulation within human body (Lee, 2000:389). In Chinese culture, qi is believed to be “vital energy.” It is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Nature, in this regard, has its energy channels circulating in the universe as well. The Taoist hereby declares wisdom of unity of Heaven and humanity(or “oneness of man and Heaven” or 天人合一)which has coursed through the veins of Chinese culture and represents Chinese cosmology. The way to achieve oneness of man and Heaven according to Tao School is through cultivation practice, a generic term for the practice of mind and body transcendence. That is to connect energy channels between human beings and Nature and finally let human beings accept the “signals” or “messages” from Nature, feel the Nature, communicate with Nature, and eventually return to Nature (Chi, 2012:38). Lao Zi, therefore, advocated, “Man should follow the land, the land should follow Heaven, Heaven should follow the Tao, and the Tao should follow Natural (人法地、 地法天、天法道、道法自然).” Human beings' life and wealth are predestinated by Nature (生死有命、富貴在天). The universe is a perpetual process of rotation, according to Taoism. Emperors always observed astronomical phenomena in order to make a precise prediction about the future and social change. Taoists believe that the change of human society is substantially linked as well as associated with the change of astronomical phenomena, and the change of astronomical phenomena has been predestinated and prearranged by Nature (Chi, 2012:103). Based on the astronomical phenomena observation results, Taoist followers would modify or improve their attitudes and behaviors closer to Nature. According to the ancient Chinese historical records, Shi Chi(also called Records of the Grand Historian or 《史紀》)and Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Governance (also called Zi Zhi Tong Jian or 《資治通鑑》, a vast chronological general history encyclopaedia), both natural and man-made disasters are always caused by the declining human moral and ethics. In the history of China, it is very easy to discern that when a dynasty was from diminish to collapse or the emperor had been dissolutely wicked, there would be a lot of natural or man-made disasters emerging. Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin and Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu At this moment, the emperor would follow the will of Heaven, validate his ablution, take care of his people and grant amnesty of the political exiles and dissents which evidenced the morals of a ruler were connected to the Heaven (Xiao, 2008/6/18). Confucianism Confucianism forms a moral code and core value for individual, family, and governance conduct. The teachings of Confucius (551 B.C. – 479 B.C.) were the guiding principles for nearly every dynasty. Confucius had three thousand disciples in his life, while among them there were seventy-two worthies. All his sayings and lectures were collected and edited by his followers as a classic named Analects of Confucius(LunYu or《論語》). Analects of Confucius is the representative work of Confucianism and continues to have a heavy influence on the philosophy and moral values of Chinese people and later other East Asian as well. Anyone who wished to become an official had to pass civil-service examinations that comprehensively tested his understanding of the Confucian classics and their moral code. For almost two thousand years, the Analects of Confucius had been the fundamental course of study for any Chinese scholar. Confucius considered morality a matter of primary importance, as reflected in his saying: A cultivated person aims at truth, not at food. Confucius thought morality was the loftiest of pursuits, so that people with lofty ideas and personalities might endure hardship, and even sacrifice their lives (Zhang and Li, 1999). This can be concluded as characteristics of tolerance. Timeless principles of five cardinal virtues which has been highlighted in Confucian teaching create the gravitational core for loyalty. Therefore, China is regarded as "a land of refined decorum and courtesies(禮儀之邦)." In the Chinese cultivation culture, one’s moral quality determines his achievement of skill and expertise. Cultivation of moral character becomes a prerequisite in any form of work. Through cultivation, one’s behavior and performance will be authentic and will not easily be changed by fame or personal interest. Ethics is moral relating to the principles of right and wrong and is determined by how one’s behavior measures up to society’s standards across cultures (Paquibut, 2011:14-15). Ethics applies to all and cannot be changed or dominated by a small group of people. Moral standards must be applied to all in the service of the common good (Paquibut, 2011:16). However, the moral standard in today’s society has already changed and becomes distorted (Lee, 2000:16). It had been recognized in society that “what is extracted from the society is returned to the society”(取之於社會,用之於社會) and “no loss, no gain” principles. Business would not pursue profit maximization, but adopt the “acceptable and reasonable” profit. Businessmen followed the traditional culture disciplines to put business ethics prior to profit-making. Products made and services delivered were to serve others and the society as a whole. Five Cardinal Virtues Five cardinal virtues (五常)represent benevolence, righteousness, propriety, Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture wisdom and faithfulness (仁、義、禮、智、信). They are the teachings of Confucianism and have constituted the ethical cultural framework in traditional Chinese culture. The five cardinal virtues are regarded as the principles to maintain social order in nearly every dynasty in China. In Chapter 11 of Book IV: Le Jin (里仁篇) in Analects of Confucius, Confucius said, “Gentleman thinks of virtue; petty man thinks of profit. Gentleman thinks of the heavenly Way; petty man thinks of favors which he may receive (君子 懷德,小人懷土。君子懷刑,小人懷惠).” In Chapter 15: Wei Ling Gong of Analects of Confucius, Confucius said, “Do not do to others what you would not like yourself (己 所不欲,勿施於人。 《論語》衛靈公第十五).” When governing a state, the ruler has to convince his people by virtues and goodness. Confucian value of five cardinal virtues emphasizes morality and altruism which are different from individualism lying at the core of North American and Western European culture (Fan, 2010:135; Haley and Tan, 2004; Yum, 1988:79). Researches claim that Confucianism is a compelling ethics since it requires individuals and organizations to make a positive contribution to society and demands moral leadership. The Confucian virtues provide a moral autonomy basis which is critical to organizational success (Romar, 2002:119). Since the 1970s, increasing scholarly works regard Confucian tradition as a constitute part of the East Asian economic dynamics and its effective management pattern (Fan, 2010:136; Zhang and Li, 1999). Buddha School Buddhism was founded by Shakyamuni two thousand and five hundred years ago in ancient India. At that time, after Shakyamuni had unlocked and enlightened, he recalled what he had cultivated before, and he spread it to save people. In his discipline, no matter how many tens of thousands of sutras have been written, there are actually just three words, “Precept, Concentration, Wisdom,” and these are the features of his discipline. “Precept” was about making a person get rid of all the desires ordinary people have, forcefully making him do away with his desire to get things, cutting himself off from everything in the secular world, and so on. So he would free himself of all attachments, there was even nothing in his mind, and naturally he could enter into concentration. They complement each other. After he’d entered into concentration, he would need to sit in meditation and really do cultivation, and cultivate upwards relying on his power of concentration. So this is the true cultivation part of that discipline. They don’t teach anything related to techniques, and they don’t transform their innate bodies— they only cultivate the gong that determines levels. So he would single-mindedly cultivate his character, since a person who doesn’t cultivate longevity doesn’t care much about evolving gong. At the same time, while he was in concentration he would strengthen his power of concentration, endure hardships in meditation, and shed his karma. “Wisdom” refers to Enlightenment, and coming to have great wisdom. He would see the truth of the universe, see the reality of every dimension in the universe, his great divine Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin and Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu powers would be majestically displayed, and his Wisdom and Enlightenment would be unlocked, which is also called being “Unlocked” (quoted from Lee, 2003:47). In A.D. 67, Buddhism reached China from ancient India. Its focus on personal salvation and meditation had a profound effect on the Chinese culture, lasting until today (Lin, 2012/1/19). According to Buddhism, “a person’s master soul doesn’t perish, so it’s possible in your social dealings before this lifetime that you owed someone, or took advantage of someone, or did some bad things. So your creditors will go after you. In Buddhism they have a belief: a person’s life is karmic retribution. If you’re in debt with someone he’ll go after you for payback, and if he takes too much from you he’ll end up giving it back to you next time. If a son isn’t good to his parents they’ll switch roles next time. This is how the retribution goes round and round (Lee, 2003:112-113).” Therefore, “good and evil have their consequences. This means that whoever does something bad must pay for it. Good deeds lead to favorable returns, while evil ones lead to negative ones. The goal is to settle things (Lee, 2011/8/29:7).” For thousands of years, the Buddhist followers in China believed that “doing good is rewarded and doing evil is punished (Lee, 2003:115).” Therefore, Buddhists are compassionate and philanthropic to ordinary people in order not to generate karmic. Shakyamuni admonished the disciples against “five principle poisons (attachment, aversion, jealousy, arrogance, and ignorance, 貪、嗔、癡、慢、疑)” because these five principle poisons are the roots causing all disasters. Nowadays, the misleading values of humankind have already caused attachment, aversion, jealousy, arrogance, and ignorance to the extreme (Tian, 2012/1/24). In Chinese, the meaning of compassion refers to “Shan(善).” When a person does a good deed, he will seek no monetary compensation. Because he believes that he will receive virtue (德) and attain rewards from an otherworldly realm. Buddhists emphasize cultivating Shan. Cultivation of Shan can develop a heart of great, benevolent compassion, and once this heart of great compassion comes out one will see that all sentient beings are suffering, the Buddha School thus develops an aspiration to offer salvation to all beings (Lee, 2000:17). The meaning of compassion is broader than philanthropy since it doesn’t confine itself to giving money to the charities or help people in need. Conclusion The universal values of what is good and what is evil haven't changed (Lee, 2008b:54). One of the major missions of academia is to contribute in-time knowledge, insights and thinking in the field of human beings’ benefits and major ethical issues (Ling, 2011:5). Reviving the Divine culture is vital for individual and society especially in such an era of moral decline and moral values distorted in human development. After the Yellow Emperor, many emperors throughout over twenty dynasties in Chinese history were Buddhism or Taoism cultivators, the most famous included Chin Shi Huang (秦始皇, all his life had been searching for elixir for immortality), Emperor Wu of Han (漢武帝, Taoist), Emperor Wu of Liang (梁武帝, Buddhist), Emperor Tang Xuan Zong (唐玄宗, Buddhist and Taoist), Emperor Song Hwei Zong (宋徽宗, Taoist), Emperor Yong Le of Ming Dynasty (明永樂皇帝, Taoist), and Emperor Shun Zhi of Qing Dynasty (清順治皇帝, Buddhist). Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture Under the influence of these faiths, Chinese culture has spawned a rich and profound system of values. The concepts of truthfulness, unity of heaven and humanity, ethics, five cardinal virtues and compassion are all products of these three beliefs’ teachings. Traditional Chinese way of life has been tied with these disciplines. That is the traditional Chinese cultural that teaches people to value intangible virtues over physical wealth. Then, a person who would seek no monetary compensation when doing a good deed was said to receive virtue and attain rewards from an otherworldly realm (Lee, 2002: 145-160). The Core Values of Three Faiths in Chinese Culture Taoism established the unity of Heaven and humanity as both are governed by the same process— Nature, which is systemic and predictable. Taoist ideas put Chinese culture in truthful setting on a cosmological basis (Agalgatti and Krishna, 2007:103). Therefore, the Tao School believes in the cultivation of truthfulness to nurture one’s nature; one should tell the truth, do things truthfully, become a truthful person, return to the original, true self, and in the end, become a true person through cultivation (Lee, 2000:17). Confucianism provides the system of external pressure to keep the behavior of individual regulated within five cardinal virtues and value system of society which can be identified as ethics and tolerance. At the same time, Buddhism supplies traditional Chinese culture in its faith with its doctrines of karma. It creates a desire for moral life to get deliverance and emancipation from the cycle of birth and death. Therefore, people will have good deeds (Agalgatti and Krishna, 2007:105). Hence, the Buddha School emphasis cultivating compassion. Because the cultivation of compassion can generate great, benevolent compassion, and when compassion develops one will find all beings suffering, the Buddha School thus develops an aspiration to offer salvation to all beings (Lee, 2000:17). Massive Destruction of Chinese Culture Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin and Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu Unfortunately, traditional Chinese culture had been substantially destroyed by the May Fourth Movement (五四運動) from 1915 to 1921, totally cut off by the Cultural Revolution(文化大革命)(from 1960s to 1970s) and the Chinese Communist Party till now in China. The May Fourth Movement, also called New Culture Movement, was an anti-Chinese cultural and anti-imperialist movement. This movement articulated the contempt for traditional Chinese culture by intellectuals and blamed for the dramatic and rapid fall of China into a subordinate international position. These demonstrations resorted to the Western science and democracy and complained that traditional cultural values prevented China from matching the industrial and military development of Japan and the West (Asia for Educators, 2009). Then, the CCP destroys all traditional Chinese morals and virtues intentionally and captivates materialistic and atheist ideology. The communist regime has a substantial negative relation with religious beliefs (Barro and McCleary, 2003:20). The traditional culture is regarded as superstition and then systematically eradicated (Barro and McCleary, 2003:4; Epoch Group, 2005:24-27). In the past 60 years under the CCP rule, the foundations of traditional Chinese culture have been largely lost and destroyed. Atheism was forced upon society, and socialism ascribed as the people’s new religion. As the Japan-based Yomiuri News once reported, during the period from 1949 to 1951, two million people were killed for their spiritual practice (Epoch Group, 2005:182). As a result, the traditional Chinese Culture, the orthodox culture in China has disappeared. Furthermore, the Chinese Communist regime has even created an institutional and structural barrier to traditional Chinese culture (Zang, 2011:2). Traditional Chinese culture has been ruined and wrecked by the CCP over this short period of a few decades, it has been continually negating China's ancient culture and trampling underfoot China's ancient civilization (Li, 2007/4/7). Quality of people is more important than quality of armament Ku Hong-Ming (辜鴻銘, 1857-1928) was a famous and influential scholar in China. His book The Spirit of the Chinese People (《春秋大義》) explored the value Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture of civilization as the soul of what type of humanity (Ku, 1915:1). It is well-known in Chinese history that the most outstanding persons are those who, first and foremost, are of upright moral character. These people are not easily affected by outside pressure or by fame and profit. Good governance is the roadbed of “Economic Miracles”: the Tang Dynasty The Tang Dynasty is considered as a golden age in Chinese history, a time when China was the largest and strongest nation in the world. Its territory was far bigger than current China and the palace was five times as big as Forbidden City in Beijing. It was a period when Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism continued to develop to their peak of popularity. The teachings of these three schools helped to regulate people’s conduct and permeated all aspects of society. Namely, during the Tang Dynasty, the entire society was able to maintain a high moral standard and Emperor Tang Taizong (唐太宗)reached the highest peak. During Tang Taizong’s governance, he appointed virtuous and capable people to important positions, and were able to accept suggestions and even criticism from their appointees. Although supreme as an emperor, Tang Taizong was humble, respectful, and tolerant. He even promoted in rank those who had opposed him. Tang Taizong had always been diligent and had lofty goals. Thus, he was a great statesman, a role model for future emperors and always being referred to a successful management case (Zhi, 2009/8/31). Taizong had governed Tang dynasty by strictly following the faithfulness and integrity disciplines. He said that only government officers held the same heart with people, maintained high moral standard, and treated each other with faithfulness and integrity could achieve prosperous state (Tang, 2012/4/24). The golden apex of the Tang Dynasty refers to the time (over 80 years) between the reign of Emperor Taizong and the reign of Emperor Xuanzong (唐玄宗). During this period of time, China enjoyed an ethical political system, high moral standard society and flourished in all aspects including trade, society, literature, and the arts (Zhi, 2009/8/31). At night, people did not need to close their outer doors; on the road, nobody pocketed anything lost by others. Tang poetry was regarded as the peak of literature. The Tang Dynasty can be summarized as having an open and broad mind, combining the quintessence from all. In 1988, seventy-four Nobel Prize laureates made the assertion in Paris. They claimed that if human beings want to live in peace and prosperity in the 21st century, they must seek the wisdom of traditional Chinese culture (Zhang and Li, 1999). Three main faiths— Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism which became complementary beliefs in Chinese society have influenced every aspect of life in Chinese communities. Way of life follows the Taoism, Confucian and Buddhist disciplines which are truthfulness, compassion and tolerance BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin and Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu Agalgatti, B.H. and Krishna (2007) Business Ethics: Concepts and Practices. India: Nirali Prakashan. Chi, Ren-Chia (2012) The Celestial Being. Taipei: Broad Press Inc. Divinagracia, Louie A. (2007) “CSR and Business Ethics” in Doing Good in Business Matters: CSR in the Philippines. Manila: AIM and De La Salle Professional Schools. Epoch Group (2005) Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. New York: Broad Press. 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