Hurley Glessner Creel is widely known as the author of deep and fundamental studies on the philosophy, socio-political and religious teachings of traditional China. The book Confucius: Man and Myth brought him truly worldwide fame. In a work whose main theme is the formation of Chinese statehood, Creel addresses a seemingly distant past. It leads the reader deep into the ages, to an era shrouded in legend and lore, the importance of which for the subsequent history of China and the entire Far East can hardly be overestimated.