Indeed, every aspect of life—but at its very root,
They are not limited to tangible objects or visible skill.
Throughout Chinese history, the fields of medicine, astronomy, dance, music, painting, military tactics, literature, poetry, the culinary arts, construction, and other cultural displays have been guided at their highest levels by Buddhist or Taoist cultivation or by Confucian philosophy.
Without understanding this, there will be many misunderstandings about traditional culture.
You may hear people talking about traditional culture or attempting to display it.
But traditional Chinese culture is much more complex, profound, and spiritual than simply kung fu moves, dumplings, and lion dances.
But the reality was quite the contrary.
Many innovations crucial to military and cultural development, like paper, printing, the compass, and gunpowder were first invented in ancient China. They only spread westward some 700 years later.
It was only after the mid-19th century that a technoligical gap opened between China and the West.
But this was precisely because the governments deviated from traditional China adaptive spirit and openness to innovation.