Whereas in the traditional courtyard house or farmhouse a natural intimacy of space pertained which was intrinsically private, the new ''apartment-like buildings'' display on their balconies the whole of the families' clothing collection. Here again, the rectangle reigned supreme for a decade or two with no sense or sign of a completing roof, inevitably faceless, multiple and endless in their industrialized repetition. However, the most recent high-rise blocks have ''hats'' crowning them. Thus, the balcony, which is usually ''caged-in'' with iron bars or even a glass windowing system, is the only place where the family can hang out the washing. In the humid climate the drying of clothes is a problem.
China is a remarkably modest nation.
One tradition that has not changed, and could not be flourishing better, is the ancient and timeless art of calligraphy. This is evidence of a civilized value system that has contained, nourished and sustained Chinese civilization. As each character retains an element of its pictorial origins, so the intense subtlety of the sounds, nuances and tones of Chinese spoken language balance the multiplicity of written characters with the simplicity of spoken sounds. Most non-Chinese are initially fooled by this aural simplicity, but on second, third or fourth hearing or attempting to speak the subtleties emerge. The characters carry design, meaning, graphic and structural laws, and a great variety of expression in style and brushwork, all of which have so far resisted the onslaught of mechanization.