Draft:Superstition in China

Superstition in China,Superstition refers to the belief in the existence of supernatural things such as gods and ghosts, and also refers to blind faith in worship.From the analysis of basic Chinese, this is a wrong Chinese expression. Superstition is a verb, not a noun. "Superstition" from the perspective of Chinese, meaning, do not understand but firmly believe; the corresponding concept is correct knowledge, that is, have the correct cognition and understanding of relevant knowledge, and have the ability to distinguish wrong cognition.

The origin of Chinese superstition

The origin of Chinese superstition can be traced back to ancient times and is closely related to primitive society's nature worship, belief in spirits and deities, and shamanistic culture.

Totem beliefs in primitive Chinese society

The totem existed in the minds of tribe members as a deified image, serving functions such as uniting the group, strengthening kinship ties, maintaining social organization, and distinguishing different communities. At the same time, people also identified with their totems and sought protection in life through them.

The first totem that emerged in people’s awareness was the "bear totem." Bears had a profound influence in ancient times. The leader of the Huaxia tribe, the Yellow Emperor, who was the foremost of the Five Emperors, established his capital in Youxiong and was also known as the "Youxiong Clan." Fuxi, one of the Three Sovereigns and the cultural progenitor of the Chinese people in ancient legends, was also known as "Huangxiong" , making him the earliest recorded creator god in Chinese history.

Moreover, the ancestors of the Xia Dynasty—Gun, Yu, and Qi—were all said to have transformed into bears after death. In The Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shan Hai Jing), one of its nine sections states: "One hundred and fifty li eastward lies Bear Mountain. There is a cave called the Bear’s Den, where divine beings come and go. In summer, it opens; in winter, it closes. When this cave opens in winter, war is inevitable." The descriptions of "closing in winter" and "opening in summer" actually record the hibernation behavior of bears.

By observing bears’ habits, ancient people noticed their hibernation in winter and re-emergence in summer, giving them an illusion of "death and resurrection." This cyclical behavior gradually endowed bears with divine significance in the minds of early humans.

Yangshao culture

The Yangshao Culture (circa 5000–3000 BCE) was one of the core cultures of China's Neolithic period. Its painted pottery designs, settlement remains, and burial customs contain rich traces of totemic beliefs.

Yangshao culture

A totem is a form of belief in which a primitive clan regards a certain animal, plant, or natural object as its ancestor or guardian deity. Archaeological discoveries from the Yangshao Culture provide important evidence for studying early totem worship in China.

Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties: Belief in Ghosts and Gods and the Mandate of Heaven (2070 BC–256 BC)

xia

During the Xia Dynasty, religious beliefs mainly continued the witchcraft tradition of primitive religion, emphasizing the mysterious connection between man, nature and ancestors. Sacrificial activities were frequent, and ancestor worship became an important part of the national religion. The Analects of Confucius: Taibo records that Xia Yu "showed filial piety to ghosts and gods", indicating that the belief in ghosts and gods had been incorporated into the national ritual system at that time.

"Book of Rites: Biaoji" records: "The Xia Dynasty respected destiny, served ghosts, revered gods but kept them at a distance, and was close to people but loyal to them." This shows that although the Xia Dynasty respected gods, it emphasized human affairs and morality more, and advocated "respecting ghosts and gods but keeping them at a distance", which reflected the awe of gods while paying attention to practical human relations.

Shang

The Shang Dynasty worshipped the "Emperor" as the supreme god. The "Emperor" had extensive powers. He not only controlled the wind, clouds, thunder and rain in nature, but also controlled the disasters and blessings in the world. With the development of civilization and the improvement of productivity, the worship of the supreme god "Emperor" was replaced by the worship of ancestor gods. The concept of human king gradually became clear and prominent.

zhou

The Zhou people proposed the concept of "Heaven's Mandate", believing that "Heaven" was the supreme god who gave the monarch the legitimacy of rule. "The Book of Documents: Zhoushu" states: "Heaven's Mandate is not constant, only virtue is its support." This emphasizes that virtue is the key to obtaining Heaven's Mandate, reflecting the combination of politics and morality. The Zhou Dynasty also developed a ritual system, using the ritual and music system to regulate social order, institutionalizing and ethicalizing the concept of Heaven's Mandate.

Qin and Han Dynasties to Tang and Song Dynasties: Fusion of Taoism, Buddhism and Folk Beliefs (221 BC–1279)

qin

After Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms, he strongly advocated the concept of divine authority and destiny to consolidate the legitimacy of his rule. He frequently offered sacrifices to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, and sent alchemists such as Xu Fu to the east to seek immortality, trying to achieve immortality through the protection of the gods. At the same time, the theory of "prophecy" was prevalent during the Qin Dynasty, that is, to prove the destiny of the imperial power through mysterious prophecies and auspicious signs.

As a cultural phenomenon that combines mysterious prophecies and political propaganda, prophecy showed a strong function of social mobilization and public opinion guidance during the Qin Dynasty. Although the Qin Dynasty was short-lived, it produced a large number of prophecies of the country's demise. These prophecies are mainly divided into three categories: curse type, deification type, and vague type. They were spread by cursing Qin Shihuang, deifying anti-Qin figures, and implicitly hinting at the ownership of the future regime, which played an important role in inciting people to resist and gathering anti-Qin forces.

Superstitious Events Throughout History

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's "Witch Gu Disaster" (91 BC)

In his later years, Emperor Wu of Han was superstitious about witchcraft and suspected that someone was using "witchcraft" (cursing with a doll) to harm him. His favorite minister Jiang Chong falsely accused Crown Prince Liu Ju of planting a poisonous insect in the palace, which led to the Crown Prince rebelling and then committing suicide, implicating the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's "Death of Yang Guifei" (756 AD)

Empress Dowager Cixi's "Boxer Rebellion"

Summarize

The root of Chinese superstition lies in human beings' fear of the unknown and desire for control, from the nature worship in primitive society to the belief in ghosts and gods in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, to the integration of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and finally forming a complex folk belief system. Although modern science has deconstructed many superstitious concepts, their cultural influence is still deeply rooted in folk customs.