Chapter 8

China--Limited opportunities--The Chinese nation compared with others--Its antiquity--Magnitude of territory and practicability of laws--Supposed origin of the Chinese --Fables of their early writers--Explanation of their exaggerations--Foundation of the Empire--Chinese traditions compared with sacred history--Similarity of events--Wise men of the East--Introduction of Buddhism--Arts and sciences-- The magnetic Needle--Discovery of Gunpowder--Origin of the name--China--Che-Hwang-te, King of Tsin--Parallel between him and Napoleon--Religion--Confucius--The Taouists-- Buddhism--A Buddhist's idea of Heaven 70