Gods and Sacrifices: A Comprehensive Overview of Traditional Chinese Religion

Author: Zhan Yinxin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1992-06-01
Features: Religion and Mythology, an important component of ancient culture, the role it played in society at that time cannot be imagined by modern people. The traditional religion of China has a long history, which can be divided into two major stages before and after the introduction of Buddhism. Before the influence of Buddhist thought, from the ancient dynasties of the Three Dynasties to the Qin and Han periods, religious worship had a consistent development, which is now unfamiliar to many later generations. However, to trace the origins of traditional religion, one must examine that era. Taking the Zhou Dynasty, which has documented records, for example, many institutions related to religious worship are preserved in the rites books. The ancient concept of rites, as understood by the ancients, differs in scope from the later concept of rites. The Rites of Zhou states: "The duty of the Grand Master of Rites is to establish the rites for the heavenly deities, human spirits, and earthly demons (qi) of the state, assisting the king in establishing and preserving the state." The first of the five major rites he oversees, the jili (auspicious rites), refers to "the worship of the spirits and deities of the state," including the supreme deity of heaven, the sun, moon, stars, the Four Directors of Destiny, the Wind and Rain Masters, the Earthly Gods, the Five Ancestral Gods, the Five Great Mountains, mountains, rivers, and marshes, as well as the sacrifices to the spirits of the four directions, and the offerings to the former kings. The content is quite complex. Rites are the core of traditional culture, and if one ignores the religious worship and related ideological concepts within them, they cannot achieve a comprehensive understanding of traditional culture. Shifting the focus from texts to archaeology and paleography also makes it clear why studying ancient religion is necessary. Many archaeological findings of ancient cultural relics are directly or indirectly related to the religious beliefs of that time. Structures such as ancestral temples and bright halls, as well as the frequent burials encountered in excavations, are difficult to explain without the concept of religion. Paleographic materials, such as the oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty and the Western Zhou Dynasty, are highly valued by academia, with thousands of studies and interpretations, yet many forget that oracle bones were remnants of divination, and divination, as an art of divination, was inseparable from the beliefs of that time. Bronze inscriptions are the same; most inscribed bronze vessels were used for sacrificial rites and were later buried according to burial customs, reflecting religious beliefs. It can be said that oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions always contain rites and belief concepts, awaiting analysis. Unfortunately, few domestic scholars, except for a few, have examined them from this perspective. In this regard, Comrade Zhan Yinxin's Divine Beings and Sacrifices—An Introduction to Traditional Chinese Religion is truly an pioneering work. The book covers a very broad scope, including the gods, spirits, and demons described in the Rites of Zhou. The materials cited range from traditional texts to archaeological and paleographic findings, while also incorporating insights from previous scholars in fields such as history, archaeology, anthropology, and folkloristics. Due to Comrade Zhan Yinxin's original focus on paleography, the book offers many novel perspectives on oracle bones and bronze inscriptions, adding to its value. It is believed that scholars in all relevant fields will find inspiration from this book, and general readers interested in understanding ancient traditional culture will also develop a strong interest in it.