East Asian Religion Timeline

The Shang dynasty created the concept of the high deity called Shang-di, the lord above. They also practiced an early form of ancestor veneration which would become substantial to the Confucian and Daoist ideologies.

Confucius lived and taught during the end of this dynasty. The yin-yang theory and the five substances theory were developed. The cult of Tu-di Gong, the "earth ruler". who controls fertility became widespread among the largely agricultural populations.

Known as Master K'ung, he was the founder of Confucianism. He developed the concepts of righteousness and ren.

Confucius starts a private school and begins teaching.

Mencius was a Confucian disciple who made major contributions to the humanism of Confucian thought. Mencius declared that man was by nature good. Mencius was an idealist who emphasized justice and humanity; proposed the idea of popular rule; and is credited with articulating the famous "Mandate of Heaven" ideology.

The first full unification of China, from central Asia to the eastern coast, was brought about by the first emperor, who also instituted a state religion.

During this time, civil service entrance was based on Confucian teachings. Also, texts deposited in tombs suggest the notion that a new supreme overlord called Tian di, keeps records on each individual's soul. The content of the Five Classics was officially established for the first time. The state religion developed in this dynasty placed the emperor as chief priest. Daoist thoughts were also integrated.

With the arrival of Buddhism in China, Confucianism became less popular.

An effect of Buddhism's rise to prominence was to motivate the adherents of Daoism to systemize their texts and teachings and to create institutions modeled after Buddhist monasteries.

Religious harmony occurred during the beginning of the dynasty. However, Emperor Wu-zong confiscated Buddhist monasteries and destroyed thousands of sacred texts. His main motivation for doing this was that more and more lands were being donated to the Buddhist monastic community, exempting them from taxation. This anti-Buddhist policy reduced Buddhism's dominance in China.