I have opined that the soul of China is survival and suggested an "anthropological" approach to the study of China. This is from Professor Dikotter's The Tragedy of Liberation:
"They learned how to perform as a way to survive. Esther Chao, who joined the People's Liberation Army in 1949, saw how people could switch their emotions on and off during village meetings: 'I noticed one woman shout and scream at the landlord. As soon as her part was played out, she returned to the crowd, took her baby who had been peacefully suckling at another woman's breast, and continued feeding it at her own, while she calmly watched the next participant in the struggle meeting.'"
"They learned how to perform as a way to survive. Esther Chao, who joined the People's Liberation Army in 1949, saw how people could switch their emotions on and off during village meetings: 'I noticed one woman shout and scream at the landlord. As soon as her part was played out, she returned to the crowd, took her baby who had been peacefully suckling at another woman's breast, and continued feeding it at her own, while she calmly watched the next participant in the struggle meeting.'"
