Ceramics and porcelain are among the most well known inventions of ancient China. The most outstanding porcelain is made in China's porcelain capital, Jingdezhen in East China's Jiangxi Province. A famous saying describes Jingdezhen porcelain as "white as jade, bright as a mirror; thin as paper, tone like a chime." China's ceramics capital, Yixing in Jiangsu Province (East China), is the home of purple sand pottery. Produced using the area's unique purple sand clay and special firing techniques, Yixing pottery is both beautiful and distinctive.

Embroidery is a traditional craft that has flourished over the ages. China's four main styles of embroidery developed in Suzhou (Jiangsu), Hunan Province (Central China), Sichuan Province (Southwestern China), and Guangdong Province (South China). An embroidery artist may use several dozen different stitches to portray flowers, people, animals, scenery, or any number of meticulously designed patterns.

Traditional Chinese philosophy is both profound and simple, intimately linked to both society and the individual. It propounds the theory of "as above, so below," and replies to the vexations of the "ten thousand things" -- that is, the material world -- with the concept of Harmony ("he" in Chinese). Harmony appears weak but is actually strong. There is nothing it cannot absorb and nothing it cannot penetrate. The Chinese character "he," or Harmony, appears in the Chinese words for peace, compromise, concord, and unison, and may be interpreted to include all of these meanings.

The philosophic concept of Harmony is expressed in both the Confucian ideal of Benevolence and the Daoist idea of Non-Action. The taijitu, or Yin-Yang symbol, offers a visual representation of this concept. It depicts two opposing forces, each of which includes elements of the other and may transform into its opposite under certain conditions. The balanced interaction of these opposing forces creates a unified and harmonious whole. The ancient philosophy of balancing opposition to create a harmonious whole has fostered an individual and collective love of peace in the Chinese people.

Chinese civilization has its source far in the distant past. With a continuous history of 5,000 years, it has undergone frequent transformations to produce a rich and vital cultural heritage.

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