ABSTRACT
A survey of the many groups that make up the Chinese population leaves one impressed with the degree of variety within the one-quarter of mankind we call Chinese. The reality of the great differences between various Sinitic subgroups is well understood by the average Chinese, at least by those Chinese who have had a reasonable opportunity to travel. Many interrelationships between the Sinitic subcultures have hardly been explored by modern scholars. Realization of the rich diversity within China should not blind us to the strong traditions of cultural and political unity that overlie that diversity. Since the Han dynasty, Chinese culture has been singularly successful in maintaining its sense of continuity and the basic values of the Great Tradition. Foreign trade is minuscule compared to internal trade, and only a very small proportion of the Chinese population has ever had the chance to travel abroad.
