For many thousands of years, the ancient Chinese believed in many gods and goddesses. They believed in magical dragons and ghosts. They believed their ancestors watched over them, and would protect them, provided they prayed in the right way. They did many things to protect themselves from evil and to make sure they would have a happy life. For example, they believed their front door had to face south if they wanted a happy life. They had many superstitions. They held many festivals to honor their gods. They even had an annual birthday party for ghosts, so ghosts would be honored and remembered, and have a good time. Read more...
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In the Shang Dynasty (about 2000 BC), the earliest period we know much about, people in China worshipped a lot of different gods - weather gods and sky gods - and also a higher god who ruled over the other gods, called Shang-Ti. People who lived during the Shang Dynasty also believed that their ancestors - their parents and grandparents - became like gods when they died, and that their ancestors wanted to be worshipped too, like gods. Each family worshipped their own ancestors. Read more...
