Syncretism: Creativity and Consciousness in the Tang Dynasty

This book is itself a product of syncretism combining fiction and fact in order to tell a truth. By analogy and comparison of word and image the author guides us on a journey through China in both its history and present day culture to investigate China's capacity to absorb and integrate radically different ideas. The author uses his knowledge of linguistics, early Chinese history, and religious anthropology to fuse together a story of culture, consciousness, and creativity