In Reply to: Re: What were the religions of the tang dynasty? posted by Ali on April 18, 2002 at 13:51:12:
Buddhism had been introduced in circa 1CE, but it really took hold during T'ang times. Confucianism was very strong, and so was Taoism. These three philosophies were known in T'ang times as the Three Doctrines. Still, if you were to ask someone in ancient China, even as late as 8th century, "What is the official religion of China?" -they probably would not have mentioned Buddhism, Confucianism, or Taoism. They would probably have said something like this: The proper and seasonable worship of the gods of the rivers and mountains, and wind and moon, and of our noble ancestors. Many of the celebrations and festivals that honor these ancient gods are still celebrated by the Chinese today. Honoring gods and ancestors was very much a part of ancient Chinese daily life. so ya. i love who?????