The cultural heritage of the Chinese refers not only to the treasures in their homes and museums, and the historical sites they visit, but also the enjoyment they derive from good cooking and from the appreciation or practice of calligraphy, painting, martial arts, literature, and important philosophical ideas. In addition, it includes the skills, good working habits, and business sense that they have learned from their parents, members of their communities, and indirectly from their parents' parents. They use these skills to derive economic benefits, as we will discuss in Chapter 3.

The Chinese live well because of what they have inherited from an old and long-living civilization. Unlike other great ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece thousands of years ago, the Chinese culture has survived and evolved. Much has been accumulated from the past for the benefit of the present generation and people around the world. Most of the activities that the Chinese enjoy as a part of this long-living culture are not included in the calculation of national income. Economists treat some of these activities as productive activities at home or as consumption (leisure) activities but do not regard them as a part of productive activities included in national income accounting. If a Chinese cooks good food at home for the consumption of his family members, every one in the family leads a good life that is not measured by national income statistics. Some of these leisure activities are discussed in this chapter, but the discussion is...