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famous Chinese novel, Journey to the West, describes the tale of a Chinese monk travelling to India assisted by a pig (the Chinese symbol of fertility) and a monkey (inspired by Hanuman?) and indicates the gradual assimilation of Buddhism into the Chinese way of life.

    Tangibility plays a key role in Chinese thought. Central to it is the idea of China, the geographical entity. It is the Middle Kingdom, the navel of civilization, connecting heaven and earth, bringing the order of the celestials to humanity. "The general trend under the celestial sphere," the Chinese say, "is that there is bound to be unification after prolonged division and division after prolonged unification." Tales about the struggle of kings and warlords to unify China form the main theme of epics and ballads. Over two thousand years ago, the first emperor to unite the land burned books and killed scholars for the sake of stability; this has happened repeatedly in history ever since.
    Nothing discomforts the Chinese more than chaos, confusion, and disorderliness, what is generally termed 'luan'. To maintain a calm exterior even in the face of the most severe crisis is indicative of moral courage and inner strength. Any breakdown, social or emotional, is indicative of luan; to break down is to lose face. To lose face is to dishonour the ancestors, most revered in a Chinese household. Disharmony is disease in the Taoist scheme of things. Even when there is health and order, Confucius advises people to think about and feel for forces that could threaten the state of comfort in the future.

    Order for the Chinese waxes towards the centre of power where the emperor resides. In the social hierarchy, the 'white' aristocrat was envied as he lived in orderly cities, closer to the king, away from the blazing sun of the countryside, which is home to the 'black' (tanned) peasant. In the periphery, there is chaos, hence the need to build the Great Wall and consolidate military forces to keep the barbarians in check by force and domination.
    Order in China has always been enforced with ruthlessness, albeit with grace and subtlety, focusing on 'pressure points' for maximum result. The following tale from Sun Tzu's seminal military treatise The Art of War, popular in management circles today, reveals this. Sun Tzu believed in winning wars without fighting, and this demanded not overt acts of heroism but outwitting the opponent with patience, sensitivity and discipline. He claimed he could turn anyone into a soldier. To humour him, the king took him to his harem and asked him to make soldiers of his concubines. Sun Tzu took up the challenge and asked the women to stand in a straight line. The concubines giggled in response and did nothing. Sun Tzu repeated his order, this time with a warning that those who failed to do so would be executed. The women giggled again. The third time, he made the command and the women giggled, Sun Tzu ordered the execution of the king's favourite concubine. Everyone was horrified by this. But what followed was far more remarkable: when the order was repeated again, the women did as told. The king was grudgingly impressed and he appointed Sun Tzu as his general.
When asked his views about the world, Saud who had worked in various branches of a multinational company made the following comment, "In China, roads are built before cities. In India, cities are built before roads. In China, people submit to the wisdom of the state. In India, people do not believe the state has their interests at heart. I find China more organized but am unnerved by its ambitions and lack of transparency. I find Indians exasperating as they have an opinion for everything but decide on nothing. In China, the state controls everything, while in India there is much more freedom of expression."

    Indian Beliefs
    Over two thousand years ago, Alexander, the young Macedonian, after having conquered the Persian Empire, reached the banks of the river Indus. There he found a