In the China episode of the series Legacy: The Origins of Civilization, there is a discussion about the many cultural and religious histories that have passed through and influenced China throughout its long history. Of the more popular faiths involved, there is Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and (much later) Communist Atheism. Each of these faiths was significant in shaping the culture of China.

The oldest faith found in China is not particularly named within the videos. The first part of the episode tells a story of how ancient bones were found being used as an ingredient in medicine. It was discovered that there was ancient writing on these bones, which was traced to the plains of China. Here the origin of Chinese religion was found, where emphasis was placed on the magical powers of the written word, found on the ancient oracle bones. The word for writing, wen, became associated with the universe itself.

The founder of Confucianism, Kong Fuzi (known only as Confucius to the West), conducted his writings in the same era as influential teachers and philosophers such as Jesus, Buddha, and Pythagoras. The second part of the episode shows and example of a Confucian ritual, but mentions how it is not practiced since it had been outlawed by the Communist government.

Whereas Confucianism is described as “practical common sense”, Daoism provides a more “mystic” approach to spirituality. Also during the second part of the video, there is this view of a large mountain which many philosophers and Chinese citizens have been known to climb in search of spiritual growth. These people include emperors, Mao Zedong, and Confucius. Daoism is normally characterized by a natural balance within the world between opposites, such as man and women, good and evil, night and day, and so on.

Part three of the episode introduces Buddhism. Originally, this faith came from India. Part of the reason for this was missionaries traveling to and from India, bringing back to China several original Buddhist texts. Later in this part, they discuss how the foreigners who came in to China (no doubt bringing with them their varying faiths) would be secluded to a particular part of town where the cultures mixed together.

The fourth part goes into how many of the original rituals practiced by Chinese were not completely ousted by the Communist revolution. This includes incense burning and worship. The fifth part then goes into detail about the Ming maritime voyages of Zheng He, and how abruptly it was ended. An argument is made by Westerners that this showed how the East was incompetent, but on the other hand it is said that the Chinese felt that they should be focusing more on inland China, and not on the imperialism of the West.

The final part regards Europe’s colonization of China after the Opium Wars. Following this was the Communist Revolution in 1949, led by Chairmen Mao, but this brought much suppression on the many faiths of China.

Link to the video:

Legacy: China