The Chinese have some of the oldest myths and legends in the world, with some myths dating back nearly 4,000 years. Many of these first stories are concerned with creation, tales of the ancient rulers, and the fight between good and evil. There is a preoccupation with magic, ghosts, the dead, and the supernatural. During the time when the Shang dynasty ruled China (c. 1600 - 1066 BC), the people worshiped many different gods. These symbolized various elements of nature, such as the Earth, the rain, or the rivers. Their supreme god was Shang Di. People asked the advice of ancestor spirits by scratching questions on pieces of bone or turtle shell. These were heated up an the marks changed shape. The new markings were read as messages from the dead ancestors.

The Zhou dynasty (1066 - 221 BC) followed the Shang dynasty. During this time, ancestor worship became widespread, but some people continued to worship the old gods.

Between 500 BC and 400 BC two schools of thought grew popular. These were Daoism (which is often spelt Taoism) and Confucianism. Both had a great effect on Chinese beliefs and are two of the three main traditional Chinese religions. (Buddhism, which arrived in China later from India is the third).

The new teachings of Confucianism and Daoism were designed to offer people a code to live their life by. At first they did not involve myths and supernatural beings, but through time myths grew up around them.

Confucius taught about the importance of social order and stressed that people should respect their parents, the old, the dead, and the ways of the past. Daoism is based on the philosophy of Lao Zi, and developed into a religion between 200 BC and 100 BC.

Daoists believe that the way to attain etrnal life is through understanding the natural laws, living in harmony with nature, and, especially, balancing the opposing principles of Yin and Yang. The Daoists adopted aspects of Chinese folk religion and came to beleive in many different, protective gods.

Confucius never talked about life after death, and when Buddhism was brought to China between 50 BC and 50 AD, it answered many questions about the next world.

Buddhism states that after people die they will be born again or, if they lead very moral and exemplary lives, they could become buddahs and live in paradise. Buddhism had a great impact on Chinese mythology. Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy, and the most important goddess to the Chinese people, is of Buddhist origin.


-Goddesses, Heroes, & Shamans