Roots of Chinese Mythology

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China can trace its historical roots in an nbroken line for more than 4，000 years，and its mythological roots extend even farther back in time.From about 2000 to 1500 B.C.，a people known as the Xia dominated the northern regions of China.The Xia worshiped the snake，a creature that appears in some of the oldest Chinese myths.Eventually，the snake changed into the dragon，which became one of the most enduring symbols of Chinese culture and mythology.

From about 1500 to 1066 B.C., China entered the Shang dynasty. People at that time worshiped many deities, including natural forces and elements such as rain, clouds, rivers, mountains, the sun, the moon, and the earth. Their greatest deity, Shang Di, remains an important god in the chinese pantheon.

When a new dynasty, the Zhou, came to power in China in 1066 B.C., significant changes took place in religion. People still worshiped the old gods, but ancestor worship became increasingly important. Confucianism and Taoism appeared near the end of the Zhou dynasty.

These two religious traditions have had an enormous influence on the development of the most basic and lasting principles of Chinese culture.

Confucius attracted many followers during his life, and his ideas continued to spread after his death. Reverence for family and ancestors is an important element of Confucianism.

In 213 B.C., many of the original sources of Chinese mythology were lost when Emperor Shi Huangdi of the Qin dynasty ordered the burning of all books on subjects other than medicine, prophecy, and farming. This order was reversed in 191 B.C., and much of the literature was reconstructed. But works were rewritten to support ideas popular with the royal court at the time, including that of a hierarchy in government. These changes affected religious beliefs, producing a pantheon of deities that mirrored the political organization of the Chinese empire. Gods and spirits had different ranks and areas of responsibility, just like Chinese officials.

Shortly before 100A.D., Buddhism arrived in China from India and added another iportant influence to Chinese culture and mythology. Buddhist ideas gradually merged with Taoism and Confucianism in the minds of many Chinese. The three traditions were often seen as different aspects of the same religion having basically the same goals. Buddhists and Taoists honored each other’s deities in their temples, and both incorporated principles of Confucianismsuch as ancestor worship, in their beliefs.