Now again as in the past when China was in its prime, the world find itimpossible to overlook China and its people. However, for its many sufferings in pre-modern and modern history ofsocial unrest and setbacks, natural disasters and social misfortunes, Chinahas for a long time remained relatively backward, listed as a "developingcountry" of the world. And for the same reason, The Chinese people andtheir civilization have been neglected in the developed countries, and whatis now known of China to quite many people in the West remains to bewhat it was 30 or 50 years ago.