Chinese Religous Beliefs
... The Chinese first developed a religious sense in the form one transcendent god, known as Shang Di, who presided over all the forces of nature. As time went on, the Chinese concept of religion began to evolve from a vaguely anthropomorphic god to a somewhat more impersonal symbol of universal order known as Heaven. ... The three Chinese philosophies did not touch upon supernatural beliefs has did other civilizations. ... Popular beliefs in ancient China function in relation to the more formalized philosophies of the society by taking the basic teachings and modifying them for the masses. The popular beliefs made the philosophies more into a religion for the common people. ... For most Chinese, Heaven was not a vague impersonal law of nature but a terrain peopled with innumerable gods and spirits of nature, both good and evil.