What makes humans special? What makes us rise above all the other animals across the planet, to discover and make great things? Before you answer with the obvious, ” our big brains and intelligence”, take a listen to this episode, for the surprising truth behind humanity’s success.

In short, it’s not smarts that drive us, but our rituals, myths, and superstitions. We find evidence for this in society’s all across the planet, but one place shows it better than any other. Come with me back to the far east, as we take a tour through the cities and restaurants of Medieval China, to explore the true power of our culture and traditions.

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Guzheng music for this episode performed by   musician Bei Bei in Los Angeles, California and by Sound of China Guzheng Instruments

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 The Secret Of Our Success by anthropologist Joseph Henrich
And book report on it by Scott Alexander

Michael Freeman Ch 4 “Sung,” in K.C. Chang, ed., Food in Chinese Culture (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1978)

 Benn, Charles. (2002). China’s Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty. Oxford University Press

Facts and Details: Song Dynasty Life

Excerpts from “On Farming”

Food: A Cultural and Culinary History, lecture by Ken Albala