Formed through the intense curiosity of a cultural explorer, this study looks deep into the historical and philosophical origins of Chinese civilization to find the keys to a realistic understanding of China as part of today's globalized world. By analyzing China's evolving political economy through the lens of her traditional beliefs, remarkable parallels are revealed among Confucian concepts such as 'Li' and 'Ren' and modern Democratic principles, and even stronger connections are shown to exist between Taoist 'Wuwei' and Free-Market philosophy. Thus apprehended, conventional East/West dichotomies are transcended and a unified understanding becomes more possible.