“Perhaps the most overpowering contrast [with the West] is the virtual absence in premodern China of the idea of a transcendent creator God who is distinct from Nature in a fundamental qualitative sense. The Chinese had notions of a supreme… — Mark Elvin Copy Share Image
![“Perhaps the most overpowering contrast [with the West] is the virtual absence in premodern China of the idea of a transcendent creator God who is distinct from Nature in a fundamental qualitative sense. The Chinese had notions of a supreme god in various guises (that is, ‘hypatotheism’), and also…” quote by Mark Elvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/053/mark-elvin-51757_china_perhaps-the-most-overpowering-contrast-w_1625650.jpg)