Question

How did both the Shang and Zhou dynasties view their role in religion?

Answer 1

Monarchical power was restricted to the religious field. They were polytheists and believed that the dead were transformed into gods. The last Chinese capital belonging to the Shang dynasty was located in Anyang in 1300 BC, whose evidence was only discovered by archaeologists in the last century.

Under the Zhou dynasty, China moved away from the worship of Shangdi (“Heavenly Lord”) in favor of the worship of Tian (“heaven”), and they created the Mandate of Heaven. According to this idea, there could be only one ruler legitimate China at a time, and that ruler reigned as the “Son of Heaven” with the approval of the gods. If a king ruled unjustly, he could lose that approval, which would result in his downfall. Overthrown, natural disasters and famine were taken as a sign that the ruler had lost the mandate from heaven.