Religious and Philosophical Heritages

Tibet	Mt.Wutai

The Chinese people have a rich religious and philosophical heritage. While Western thought and religion are gaining popularity and support in China and among Chinese people, more and more occidental thinkers are discovering the beauty and value of the Eastern philosophies.
Buddhism gained an early entry into China, and has since become the most widely professed belief. Chinese Buddhism is often mixed with local traditions and folklore, and in many cases not practiced in a "pure" form. One of the core teachings of Buddhism is that life is a continual cycle of suffering.
Taoism was born in China. Tao is the character for a road or path, as well as that of knowledge and reason. The quintessential belief is that of balance. The concept of Yin and Yang originate from Taoism, with each side representing opposite and counterbalancing traits and qualities. In Taoism, understanding the nature of things and acting in a moderate way to avoid the consequences of extremes is a primary key.  A lot of wise sayings and proverbs originate in the original Taoist poems and in Taoist writings.