The Gateway Chronicle 2020

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the origins of a religious culture which
was rapidly developing. Scholars believe
that the establishment of religion was key
to cultivating prosperous societies and,
therefore, these early beliefs were integral
to the way society developed in the centuries
that followed.
However, it was not until the Shang dynasty
that the core beliefs really became defined.
During 1600-1046 BCE, common beliefs
became widespread across different
cultures and societies within the country.
Most notably, these included the worship
of ancestors and ghosts, who were believed
to hold power over the family.
Many Chinese wore amulets and jewellery,
to show honour to their ancestors
and bring their family tree good fortune.
To this day in China, Tomb Sweeping day
is celebrated, where families ensure that
their dead relatives
are happy in the afterlife.
The belief is
that, if the ancestors
don’t feel honoured,
they will return as
ghosts to haunt their
living relatives and,
therefore, it is of utmost importance that
each new child is taught respect and honour
for their past. Further to this, the
Shang dynasty saw the popularisation of
belief in gods, which were believed to be
the highest powers, and ancestors were
believed to have connections to the gods,
which is how they protected their family.
Shangti was the main god, believed to be
the most powerful. His role was to preside
over all important matters, such as law,
order, justice and life. He decreed how the
universe was run – similar to God in
Christianity and Judaism, or Allah in Islam.
Yet, unlike these three religions, early
Chinese beliefs worshipped over 200 gods,
who all had powers (though lesser than
Shangti) over various aspects of life. Many
of these gods find similarities in Hinduism,
perhaps the most famous of these
gods is the dragon, which has since become
synonymous with Chinese culture.
“Early beliefs were integral to
the way society developed in the
centuries that followed”
Dragon gods are regarded as protectors of
soldiers and kings, as well as looking over
the weather for crops. Therefore, in Chinese
culture, they are held in great esteem,
given the significant power they hold over
all areas of society. Other gods such as
Nuwa and Fuxi were responsible for the
wellbeing of humankind, inventing concepts
such as marriage, introducing fire
into civilisation and take care of their basic
needs. These gods were considered the
mother and father of human beings and
were generally called upon for protection
and nourishment. These gods were predominantly
called upon for protection or
good fortune, and often this was done so
through prayers to the ancestors – who
were said to have close contact with the
gods themselves. They were seen to be
key to the wellbeing both economically
and physically of a family, and therefore
these traditions
transcended generations.
Indeed, there were
other gods of the
early religions that
shared similarities
more with the gods of ancient Greece. Lei
Shen was the god of thunder, and legend
told that the rumble of thunder came from
him beating upon drums with a hammer.
He was believed to be an ill-tempered
man, who controlled storms. Lei Shen was
reputed to punish those who were wasteful,
and he would do so by killing them
with a lightning bolt. However, on the occasion
of wrongfully killing a woman
named Dian Mu, she was reincarnated as
the goddess of lightning, the idea being
that she would help guide Lei Shen, thus
avoiding the problem of innocent death.
This story was one of the earliest ways in
which the Chinese religions attempted to
explain the world around them; it is one
of the reasons that religion became so
popular – because it explains the phenomena
that ordinary people could not comprehend,
thus many sought refuge in the
comfort of spiritual understanding –