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This and the other tales about how the Jade Emperor came
to be were manufactured by various dynastic Chinese rulers who
sought to provide him with a mythology of his own. That helped
cement his place as the chief god. By picturing him as an em-
peror with a heavenly court of divine officials, mirroring the earthly
courts of human emperors, those rulers legitimized and solidified
their own system of rule.
A Unique Blended Religious System
Whether perpetuating old myths or inventing new ones, rulers and
government officials had to work within the religious system that
existed in ancient China. That system of beliefs and rituals grew
more complex and mature over time. It began, back before the
Shang era, as a fairly simple folk religion, which modern experts
often call ancient China’s “popular” faith. The system of worship it
featured consisted of praying to various gods, as well as notewor-
thy human ancestors, and making offerings of food to them either
at grave sites or at small shrines set up in most homes. On the
community level, meanwhile, people held annual festivals honor-
ing the gods.
Yet that situation changed, because over time three new belief
systems entered China—Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.
Each had a profound effect on the way the gods were perceived
and on the formation of the myths associated with them. Interest-
ingly, rather than compete against one another, these systems ac-
tually complemented one another, as well as the older folk religion.
All four systems blended and produced a unique outlook on life and
faith in which the gods became
less
important as objects of worship
and
more
important as examples of how people should live their
lives. The blended system strongly emphasized proper, productive
behavior, honesty, and caring for one’s fellow human beings. That
new outlook altered people’s views of the gods and their mythology,
so some older myths changed or were replaced by newer ones.
This process is well illustrated by the effects of Taoism in the
years following its appearance in China in the 500s and 400s BCE.
