Fung's writings are the result of contact betveen Eastern and westem cultures and of the modernization of Chinese philosophY. He investigated philosophy in the light of all of its cultural manifestations, taking the problem of life as his focus. Along such a trend and under the guidance of Professor John Dewey, he completed his doctoral dissertation.

The essavs collected in this volume. 'all originally wrirten in English for a non-Chinese audience, are taken from those writings of Fung Yu-lan that are relatively far-reaching and concise. As a whole. Fung's writings are the result of contact betveen Eastern and westem cultures and of the modernization of Chinese philosophY. He investigated philosophy in the light of all of its cultural manifestations, taking the problem of life as his focus. Along such a trend and under the guidance of Professor John Dewey, he completed his doctoral dissertation. "A Comparative Study of Life Ideals"at Columbia University in 1923 (published in 1924).The work presents the young author's achievements in his endeavour to have a thorough knowledge of both Western and Chinese philosophies and their life ideals and to pursue the highest ideal of life as he saw it. After the publication of his two-volume A History of Chinese Philosophy ( t 930- t 936), Fung turned his interest to the attempt to create a modern system of Chinese philosophy, thereafter successively publishing six books about his Neo- Confucianism. Then he returned again to the study of the history of Chinese philosophy and wrote in English A Short History of Chinese Philosophy (1946-1947). The experience of creating his own philosophical system made him more penetrating in comprehension and more explicit in expression than he was when preparing his large history.In order to meet the need of Western readers, he often explained Chinese philosophy in comparison with Western philosophy. From this philosophical comparison he came to a social conclusion: "In order to live in a modern world, China has to be modernized." His Short History was published by Macmillan Company in 1948, followed by French, Italian and Yugoslavic,versions translated from the English original.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LIFE IDEALS
INTRODUCTION
Part I
THE IDEALIZATION OF NATURE AND THE WAY OF DECREASE
Chapter I
ROMANTICISMS: CHUANG TZU
Chapter II
IDEALISM: PLATO
Chapter HI
NIHILISM: SCHOPENHAUER
Chapter IV
CONCLUSION OF PART I
Part II
THE IDEALIZATION OF ART AND THE WAY OF INCREASE
Chapter V
HEDONISM: YANG CHU
Chapter VI
UTILITARIANISM: MO TZU
Chapter VII
PROGRESIVISM: DESCARTES, BACON, AND FICHTE
Chapter VIII
CONCLUSION OF PART II
Part III
THE IDEALIZATION OF THE CONTINUITY OF NATURE AND ART AND THE GOOD OF ACTIVITY
Chapter IX
CONFUCIUS
Chapter X
ARISTOTLE
Chapter XI
NEO-CONFUCIANISM
Chapter XII
HEGEL
Chapter XlII
CONCLUSION OF PART III
Chapter XIV
GENERAL CONCLUSION
A SHORT HISTORY OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY
Chapter I
THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY
Chapter II
THE BACKGROUND OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY
Chapter III
THE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS
Chapter IV
CONFUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER
Chapter V
MO TZU, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF CONFUCIUS
Chapter VI
THE FIRST PHASE OF TAOISM: YANG CHU
Chapter VII
THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS
Chapter VIII
THE SCHOOL OF NAMES
Chapter IX
THE SECOND PHASE OF TAOISM: LAO TZU
Chapter X
THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM: CHUANG TZU
Chapter XI
THE LATER MOHISTS
Chapter XII
THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY
Chapter XIII
THE REALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU
Chapter XIV
HAN FEI TZU AND THE LEGALIST SCHOOL
Chapter XV
CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS
Chapter XVI
WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY
Chapter XVII
THEORIZER OF THE HAN EMPIRE TUNG CHUNG--SHU
Chapter XVIII
THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM
Chapter XIX
NEO-TAOISM: THE RATIONALISTS
Chapter XX
NEO-TAOISM: THE SENTIMENTALISTS
Chapter XXI
THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM
Chapter XXII
CHANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF SILENCE
Chapter XXIII
NEO-CONFUCIANISM: THE COSMOLOGISTS
Chapter XXIV
NEO-CONFUCIANISM: THE BEGINNING OF THE TWO SCHOOLS
Chapter XXV
NEO-CONFUCIANISM THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS
Chapter XXVI
NEO-CONFUCIANISM: THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND
Chapter XXVII
THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY
Chapter XXVIII
CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD
ESSAYS AND SPEECHES
WHY CHINA HAS NO SCIENCE--AN INTERPRETATION OF THE HISTORY AND CONSEQUENCES OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY
THE CONFUCIANIST THEORY OF MOURNING, SACRIFICIAL AND WEDDING RITES
THE PLACE OF CONFUCIUS IN CHINESE HISTORY
PHILOSOPHY IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA
THE ORIGIN OFJU AND MO
THE PHILOSOPHY AT THE BASIS OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE SOCIETY
THE TRADITIONAL CHINESE FAMILY SYSTEM
A GENERAL STATEMENT ON NEO-CONFUCIANISM
SPEECH OF RESPONSE DELIVERED AT THE CONVOCATION OF SEPTEMBER 10,1982, AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
INDEX