4.4 Religious Beliefs in Early China

BELLWORK

In your review Packet please make sure you have answered:

Multiple Choice Questions: #1, #2, #3, #6. #7, #8

Short Answer Questions: #1, #2

Identify the components of early Chinese religious practices

Determine how the veneration of ancestors is a part of the Shang Dynasty

culture

Compare and Contrast ancestor veneration to the foundation of Confucianism

Objectives

Foundations

Chinese complex religious beliefs

began to develop during Neolithic

times

They prayed to many gods and

nature spirits

Oracle bones for divination, the

telling of the future

Shang Dynasty

During the Shang Dynasty Shang Di

was the supreme being

The king was seen as the link

between the people and Shang Di

The king was expected to make the

correct prayers to Shang Di to gain

his favor, and in return the people

would have good harvests

Kings and emperors were called the

Son of Heaven for performing these

duties - a title that continues to be

used for centuries

This was the only evidence of the

Chinese rulers acting as a priest and a

king

Veneration of Ancestors

People believed that the gods only

listened to the “greatest of people” -

the ancestors of the kings

King praying to their ancestors was

thought to benefit the entire

community

The kings attained some of their

power from this belief

Fall of the Shang Dynasty &

Rise of the Zhou Dynasty

Change

Over time the king’s ancestors were

not the only families that were

thought to have ancestors powerful

enough to influence the gods

Nobles and aristocrats practiced

veneration of the ancestor to bring

good fortune to their family

Sacrifices of food and other small

necessities were made

Late Zhou Dynasty

Confucius - Biography

Born in 551 B.C.E. - a time of great

instability because of war among the

feudal lords

Confucius is the translation of his

name for Western people

Born Kong Fuzi, or Master Kong

He was of a noble family that was

poor yet was highly educated

Philosophy

Confucius studied the ancient texts

about rules of conduct for

government that had been written by

the Chinese leaders of the past - the

ancestors

He developed a social philosophy that was geared towards developing

a government for all of China that

ensured social order and was a good

government for all

Teaching

No feudal lord or king really took him

seriously - or his ideas - and he

wandered China for a decade trying

to get a permanent government job

Failing at being a government official

he became a teacher of his

philosophy

His philosophy was popular and

spread through China long after his

death

His sayings and teachings were

collected into The Analects after his

death

These sayings were advice for living a

good and honorable life - no religion

involved

No divine beings to pray to for

guidance, and no belief in the afterlife

Activity

Compare the Shang Dynasty religion to Confucianism:

How do veneration of ancestors and Confucianism relate to one another?

What commonalities do they possess?

How are they different from one another?

EXIT TICKET

Confucianism is seen as a religion by most of the world.

Explain how Confucianism holds some of the religious qualities that veneration of ancestors has and can be seen as a religion in the eyes of the world.