The dominating feature od Chinese life is a conservatism that has followed certain habits and traditions for 40 centuries. Altthough there was some culture in China five thousand years ago, we shall begin our study with the Chou Dynasty (1125-255 B.C.), during which time China reached its zenith of intellectual and artistic achievement. Confucius (552-479 B.C.) was almost a comtemporary of the Golden Age of Athens. The Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 221) marked a great development in China and prepared the way for a new outburst of artistic life under the Tang Dynasty (618-907), which may be described as the golden a