China Quotes

“In a world that respects usefulness, Zhuangzi finds value in uselessness, pointing out that a great, crooked tree, useless for timber, will live long, while the trees that are useful to men are abused and their lives cut short.”
― Harold M. Tanner, China: A History (Volume 1): From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire,

“Since large, powerful landowners were better able to resist taxation than individual families, this often meant that the state’s tax revenue declined.”
― Harold M. Tanner, China: A History (Volume 1): From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire,

“It was not merely that they enjoyed these things (though they certainly did); a man’s career depended on his talents in the arts, particularly poetry and calligraphy.”
― Harold M. Tanner, China: A History: From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire,