Leonid Vasiliev's book is addressed to those who want to better know and understand China and the Chinese. It tells in detail how the ancient cults, belief traditions and rituals of China were formed, how Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese Buddhism arose in China, how a synthetic religion gradually emerged, combining elements of all three teachings, and how all this created traditions, largely determined the Chinese national character. This is a story about how a tradition that has absorbed the experience of dozens of generations has become a way of life based on the worship of ancestors, respect for elders, love for children, reverence for learning, determination, responsibility and hard work. And also about how the Chinese have been able to maintain the continuity of their civilization for three thousand years and turn foreign influences to their advantage without sacrificing their own interests. Leonid Vasiliev (1930) – Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.