I refer to the letter Ancient Chinese racist, no doubt about it .

The writer said: 'No other culture has managed to survive intact over that long period of time. No other culture has put out such a large body of sophisticated art and poetry'.

Really? But what about the Jews, the Iranians, the Indians and many others? It is obvious that ignorant people are the most prejudiced. There is no denying that some Chinese are racists, but not all are.

I don't know if all ancient Chinese were racist as claimed by the writer but the evidence clearly shows otherwise. The dragon was a creation by Huangdi (approximately 2500 BC) to unite the various tribes which included the Mongoloid and Caucasoid peoples.

Culture and language - instead of race - were use as a unifying force. Hence, the Chinese referred to themselves as descendants of the dragon. Ancient Chinese elite frequently referred to other people as either 'in the culture' ('huanei') or 'out of the culture' ('huawai'). To them, Chinese culture was the only culture.

I am familiar with ancient Chinese texts and I cannot find a single racist word. That's why I said the ancient Chinese elite were 'culturalist' but definitely not racist. If anybody can proved otherwise, I am all ears.

But frankly, there is no such thing as superior culture. The castle is superior to a wooden hut in the same way that a BMW is superior to a bicycle. Basically, it is a rich man's snobbery. A more complex and sophisticated culture is not better than a simpler one.

For example, a castle can only be built in a society where there are lords and legion of coolies. Only in an empire can there be the organisation and specialisation of labour to allow the building of a castle. A more simple society like the Orang Asli or Native American, where everybody has to be a jack-of-all- trades, can never built a castle, create complex art or science.

But to simply highlight achievements such as arts and the sciences and to ignore the failings of a great civilisation is a discredit to the study of history. Cultural differences should not be used as a basis for imperialism as many have done.

No one should be made to be ashamed of their culture though obsolete traditions (such as human sacrifice) should be discarded. All resilient cultures change with time and Chinese culture has been but one of them.

I will also mention selective amnesia by some modern Chinese scholars. Before 3000 BC, the Chinese (Huaren) were a matriarchal society. The women ran the households, the children used the surname of their mother. Properties were passed only to daughters. Men married into the woman's family.

How many Chinese know this? Should we revert back to this tradition?