Japan, unlike China, is a religious country. The Chinese doubt a proposition until it is proved to be true; the Japanese believe until it is proved to be false.
Source: The Problem of China 1922, p169 (George Allen and Unwin ed.)]
* a brief comment:
The "Quote of the Day from Russell" (see attached image) consists of just two short lines, but I thought its implications might not be fully understood, so I added a note to each sentence. Without such notes, especially upon reading the line "Japan, unlike China, is a religious country," some might immediately respond,"But very few people in modern Japan truly believe in religion!"
Of course, China is a multi-ethnic country, and it is difficult to generalize about the "national character of the Chinese." However, if we focus on the Han majority and certain historical cultural tendencies, Russell's observation seems to carry a degree of validity.
While values have changed in many respects under the communist regime, it seems that traditional attitudes and ways of thinking still persist to some extent, particularly in rural areas.
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