History books often claim that China is the world's oldest civilisation and whether you decide to accept this or recognise China in its current form, as it's been for the last 2,000 years, is your choice! What is unarguable is the influence that China, its inventions and its culture have had on the rest of the world. China is a riot of colour, whether out in the countryside, in a restaurant, when visiting a market or marvelling at some of the local costumes; every corner you turn allows the unjaded traveller great sights, experiences, memories and of course, photo opportunities. China has been moulded by its history. The legends of Dynastic Emperors are still as important in shaping China today as the legacies of Mao and the country's more recent history. Family values remain at the core of Chinese society and though in the cities they can be observed to be slowly breaking down, they do remain important as the annual celebration of the Chinese New Year testifies. The strength of these family ties, effectively a clan based system, and the ancestor worship that goes in conjunction can clearly be traced to the philosophies and religions that China has created. Chinese Society and Culture have primarily been influenced by three main religions, Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism, all of which have their very separate origins, though today have increasingly become entwined within a more general Chinese religion. Elements of each, along with elements of older belief systems such as animism, are present throughout much of Chinese society. Perhaps the reverence for the family as an institution is the most visible sign of the conduit between the various religions and philosophies. It's worth adding that in cities such as Shanghai it does increasingly appear as if money/power can tentatively be called the 4th religion. Religion and China have an uneasy co-existence. Officially the People's Republic of China professes atheism although in 1982 the Constitution was amended to allow for freedom of religion - however to join the Communist Party and hold any form of political office you must still be an atheist. Freedom of Religion is, however, clearly in evidence and many temples and churches have been carefully restored after damage inflicted during the Cultural Revolution. Currently the only mainstream church that Beijing doesn't recognise is the Catholic Church and this, very simplistically, is because the Vatican retains diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Taoism (or sometimes Daoism) - has its basic concept in the belief that as human life is only a small part of a larger process of nature, the only human actions that make sense are those that are in accord with 'the flow of nature' - which in itself is the Tao or 'the way'. Just to make things a bit more confusing, the Tao cannot be sensed as it exceeds our human thoughts and imagination. Obviously, Taoism seeks to create an inner stillness and promote a stillness for individuals within their surroundings and this can truly be seen and sensed when visiting a number of the less touristy Taoist temples. Taoism was believed to have been founded by Laotzu (translated as 'The Grand Old Wise One' and born c. BC 605) and as he reached old age was meant to have written a small book called 'The Way and Its Power'. It was largely forgotten for about 500 years and what is opined to have been meant merely as a philosophy has turned into China's most popular religion. Confucianism - more a philosophy than a religion has become a component of daily Chinese life. Confucius, a scholar and philosopher, was born c. BC 550 and spent his later life travelling around China offering advice to local warlords and bureaucrats. His belief was that codes of conduct and patterns of obedience should define daily life and that respect should flow upwards from women to men, from young to old and from subject to ruler and from all to the Emperor. It was the latter parts that interested the Rulers and the reason why Confucian philosophy became so keenly implemented. Although a central belief in Confucianism was that these conduct codes could not be enforced a group of scholars were charged, by the Emperors, with the oversight of its implementation. Today, family life in China is controlled by many aspects of Confucian thought, especially the worship of ancestors and the family being the basic unit of society. Buddhism - was founded in India c. BC 525 though it was only in the 3rd to 6th centuries that it took hold in China as a result of Chinese missions to India and Indian monks accompanying the missions back to China. Buddhist scriptures were brought back, translated and a following of Buddha's teachings developed. Buddhism has a number of different schools though the general belief is that life is about suffering and the cause of suffering is desire - both desires of the body and desires for personal fulfilment. To overcome these desires Buddhists should seek 'Nirvana' a state where the body and mind are freed from greed, anger, ignorance and desires. The origin of Buddhism is traced back to Prince Siddhartha who unfulfilled by a life of comfort, sought fulfilment through meditation and various yogic disciplines. One evening, sitting under a banyan tree he fell into a trance and emerged having achieved enlightenment - Buddha means 'The Enlightened One'. Buddha formed a following of monks and 150 years or so after his death is when the split between the various schools of Buddhism happened - one emphasizing Buddha's Hindu roots, the other minimising these roots. Islam - was introduced to China by traders and its influence is seen most keenly in the far west and in the area around Xian, as this was the route of the ancient Silk Road bringing Moslem traders from the east in search of silks and other exotic produce. Islam (roughly translatable as 'the peace that comes by surrendering to God') was founded by the Prophet Mohammed c. BC 550 and who was responsible for transmitting the word of God (Allah) to the people. Today approximately 2-3% of China's population follow Islam. Christianity - dates back to c. AD 770 when there is evidence of a Syrian Christian sect presenting itself to the Emperor in the then capital, Xian, though it wasn't until the Jesuit missionaries arrived in the 1580's that there is much evidence of Christianity in China. Missionaries of all Christian faiths started their work after European traders started making inroads into China in the 19th Century. Today the official Christian population stands at about 1%. Along with China's religions and philosophies are the age-old traditions of feng shui, lucky numbers and fortune telling. Superstition is rife and no large event, whether it be the birth of a child, marriage, death, business proposal or indeed anything that involves just about anything can simply be chanced. The belief system in lucky charms, appeasing the spirits and gods and in protecting yourself with good omens is so strong, it can be seen everywhere. Examples include having prosperous numbers on your car registration plate, living in a house or flat that is on a lucky numbered floor or street number and even in starting a new business on an auspicious date.