Chinese Mythology (LL)

Throughout antiquity, Ancient China was one of the most cultivated and powerful empires in the world. Its first semilegendary dynasty was founded in 2,000 B.C., well before ancient Greece rose to power. By 200 B.C., the emperors of the Ch'in dynasty controlled an area of 500,000 square miles. They had also completed one of the most impressive civil engineering projects ever undertaken, the Great Wall of China, which runs for more than 1,500 miles along the nation's northern frontier. By the 7th century A.D., the Chinese had developed both paper and printing, crucial inventions which were not to reach the west until more than 700 years later. The list of technological advances made by the Chinese goes on and on, but includes the invention of the clock, development of gunpowder, and the spinning of silk.

Considering these impressive achievements and its physical location, it is no wonder that China thought of itself as the "Middle Kingdom." To its inhabitants, the Middle Kingdom was the center of the world and a beacon of civilization in a shadowy world of barbarism. They believed that the people to the north of China were fierce nomads who lived by herding sheep, horses, and camels. Those to the south, they considered head-hunting savages who fed themselves by slithering about in rice paddies. The kingdoms to the west were jealous, hostile rivals, and to the east lay vast seas populated by the isolated island cultures.

The Middle Kingdom's great civilization developed in the vast plain of northern China. This plain was a dry prairie covered many yards deep with yellow dust that had been blowing out of Mongolia for thousands of years. Through the middle of this plain wound the Yellow River, a great sluggish river so choked with silt that it frequently overflowed its banks and flooded the farmlands along its length.

This dusty basin might seem an unlikely birthplace for one of the greatest cultures man has witnessed, but it was here that the first Chinese city-states arose, relying upon the waters of the Yellow River to irrigate their fields of millet and barley, and to water their herds of pigs, goats, and oxen. It was also here that Yu the Great, the founder of the legendary Hsia dynasty, established the first Chinese empire.

Although it remains unclear whether Yu the Great was an historical or legendary personage, it is clear that his reign was followed by a long series of vigorous dynasties.

The Age of Philosophy[]

From about the sixth to third centuries B.C., the central power of the empire declined and the feudal city-states enjoyed a great deal of independence. Although this situation eventually led to a prolonged civil war, it was also during this period that two of China's most prominent philosophies, Confucianism, and Taoism, were developed. Both were founded by sages who, as was the custom during this period, wandered from petty king to petty king offering their advice and wisdom. Although neither philosopher received much acclaim during their own times, both had an impact on China that is still evident today.

The heart of Confucianism, which was founded by K'ung Futzu, is an ethical and moral system rooted in the venerated traditions of China's earliest ages. Basically, K'ung Fu-tzu taught that people, especially rulers, should be unselfish, courteous, respectful of the opinions of others, loyal to family and prince, humble, virtuous, and bold in the cause of right or good. Strictly speaking, Confucianism is not a religion, for it is not concerned with the supernatural or spiritual matters. It is more a philosophy that guides men in their everyday lives.

In many ways, Taoism is the opposite of Confucianism. Where Confucianism is concerned with the art of government and social morality, Taoism is concerned with otherworldly mysticism. Taoists believe in a oneness-of-being. To them, life is the same as death and all things are part of the same harmonious state of existence. The only way to achieve knowledge of this mystic state is to enter a trance and merge with the infinite. The Taoists believe that any order imposed on nature is destructive and bound to create unhappiness, so they are generally opposed to law and government.

Needless to say, this did not make Taoism popular with the ruling class, but it did not stop Taoism from becoming the most popular religion of the lower classes. It eventually became organized into a church, complete with a formal hierarchy, rites, festivals, and an escape to the Mystical Garden for the faithful.

Both Taoism and Confucianism were influenced by a concept from another school of philosophy, that of yin-yang. Basically, yin-yang is a dualist view of the cosmos which posits the existence of two opposing forces, yin (female, dark, weak) and yang (male, light, strength). It is through the interaction of these two forces that everything in the universe is created.

Sometime between around 100 A.D., another important influence came to China from distant India: Buddhism. This new religion taught that suffering was indistinguishable from life. The only way to reach salvation was to extinguish all sense of self, which would lead to a state of illumination beyond both suffering and existence. Despite these foreign ideas, there were many surface similarities between Taoism and Buddhism, such as its emphasis on meditation as a means of enlightenment. Therefore, Buddhism found a ready reception in China, and it was not long before Buddhist schools peculiar to Chinese culture appeared and flourished.

Because of the influence of these three schools of thought, it is often said that China has three religions: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. This is not to say that a single individual practices all three religions. Rather, it means that there is room in China for followers of all three religions.

As the paragraphs above illustrate, the ancient Chinese were relatively broad-minded and open to new ideas. Imperial China was a land where new concepts received a frank appraisal and, if found deserving, an opportunity to flourish. For priests charged with spreading worship of their deity, it should be an interesting land in which to adventure.

Chinese Social Order[]

Early in Chinese history, the Emperor ruled the land through a network of noble lords not too terribly different from that of feudal Europe. But as the empire grew and became increasingly concentrated in huge cities (some had more than a million inhabitants), it became necessary to develop an efficient system to administer it. In response to these needs, China developed the world's first massive bureaucracy.

Political power quickly passed from the hands of the nobility to the prefects and governors employed by the Imperial bureaucracy. These civil servants reported to the Emperor through an elaborate chain of command that ensured an efficient delegation of power and responsibility. In theory, any intelligent man could rise to a position of power in this system of government. Bureaucrats were chosen not through heredity or nepotism, but on the basis of scores earned on a rigorous civil service examination which tested the prospective employee's knowledge on a wide variety of subjects, especially Confucianism and religion. In reality, however, only the children of the well-to-do could afford to invest the time and money necessary to ensure an acceptable examination score.

Despite these flaws, the Chinese bureaucracy worked reasonably well. There were many problems with corruption and betrayal of the public trust, but the system could not have been too seriously flawed, or it would not have survived as long as it did. The last emperor ruled an area of over three million square miles and was not formally deposed until the 20th century.

In addition to China's efficient bureaucracy, there are many reasons for the longevity of its Imperial government. One of the most important, however, is certainly the Emperor's special relationship with the deities of his culture.

Chinese Emperors ruled by a Mandate from Heaven. In the earliest times, it was believed that the kings were direct descendants of a heavenly deity. As such, these "Sons of Heaven" were endowed with extraordinary spiritual power which enabled them to establish hereditary lines of sacred Emperors who ruled in the country's best interest. As the dynasties grew older, this precious spiritual power dissipated until the rulership was passed on to someone devoid of this sacred power. At that time, heaven would bestow its mandate on another hero, who would displace the current Emperor and found a new dynasty.

One of the most important duties of a Son of Heaven was to act as an intermediary between heaven and the entire world, known as "Under Heaven." The Chinese believed that everything in nature was endowed with a supernatural spiritual force. In the earliest times, it was the king's duty to use his spiritual power to ensure that these spirits provided for mankind's needs. Natural disasters, such as drought, flood, famine, etc, were seen as a sign that the emperor had lost his mandate to rule.

The Chinese also practiced ancestor worship. They believed that when a person died, his spirit lived on in the upper regions and influenced the fate of his descendants Under Heaven. To invoke the blessings of these ancestors, and to sustain them so they would not become evil spirits, every citizen from the lowest to highest offered his ancestors food and wine.

In return, the ancestors were expected to provide advice and look out after the welfare of his descendants. The earliest kings had questions written down on pieces of polished bones (later called "dragon bones"). These bones, which contained questions about nearly every aspect of ruling a society, were held over a fire until they cracked. The answer to the question was divined from the pattern of the cracks.

These primitive beliefs did not fade away as Chinese society advanced and as the pantheon grew more complicated. Instead, the old beliefs and the new became parallel religions that complemented each other. The duty of appeasing the nature spirits passed into peasant hands, while the duty of worshiping the new, more powerful gods (and his own divine ancestors) became the province of the Emperor.

The pantheon of these new gods was similar to the organization of the empire. At the head of the bureaucratic order was Yu-Huang-Shang-Ti, the supreme emperor of Heaven and Under Heaven. He ruled from a splendid palace, and had a full set of courtiers, family, army, and civil servants at his disposal. These subordinates were charged with certain duties and responsibilities, and had to report to Shang-Ti once a year. If the supreme emperor was not pleased, as was often the case, they could be removed and replaced by another god who would do a better job.

Although the deities of the Chinese pantheon inhabit many different planes, they may be found together at least once a year at Shang-ti's palace in the Seventh, or Illuminated, Heaven. Normally, only lawful good beings are admitted into this plane, but any Chinese deity may come and go here through Shang-ti's power.

The Afterlife[]

Like all Chinese mythology, the concept of the afterlife is a mixture of Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian thought. Basically, the ancient Chinese believed that after death, a person's soul goes to the first of ten supernatural law courts. Here, the judge investigates the person's deeds during his past life and passes judgement on what is to come.

Depending on the nature of their morality, the souls of the virtuous met one of three fates. They could be sent back to the earth to be reincarnated immediately. In cases where the individual's morality was subject to question, he might be reincarnated in an animal's body as a minor punishment. The souls of the very honorable might be sent to the K'un-lun Mountain, dwelling place of the Immortals, or to the Land of Extreme Felicity in the West. Both paradises were lands of eternal delight which only the most virtuous souls could hope to attain.

The souls judged to be wicked passed through nine more courts of law. In the first eight of these courts, the soul is judged for crimes against the jurisdiction of that particular court. For instance, in the second court, the individual might be found guilty of being a dishonest intermediary or an ignorant doctor. In the third, he might be judged a back-biter or forger, and in the fourth a miser, cheat, or blasphemer. As the individual receives his judgement, he is passed to one of two hells attached to each court, where he receives a punishment appropriate to the crime. For instance, a miser might be compelled to swallow molten gold, a liar might have his tongue cut out, a murderer might be cut into pieces, etc.

After receiving the appropriate punishment in each court, the soul reaches the house of Lady Meng, just inside the exit to this terrible afterworld. Here, the Lady Meng serves them the Broth of Oblivion, which robs the souls of memory of their former lives and their ordeal in the afterlife. After drinking the broth, the souls pass through the exit and climb onto the Wheel of Transmigration and are cast back to earth to be reincarnated in a new body.

Priests in China[]

Ancient Chinese clerics were responsible for worshiping the entire pantheon of gods, and performed a wide variety of tasks related to the heavens as a whole. In the AD&D® game, however, priests often dedicate themselves to a particular deity. Their spells and powers are granted as favors from that deity in return for the cleric's service.

When running a campaign with the Chinese mythos as a backdrop, you can handle this difficulty in one of two ways: you can run clerics as basic priests who are granted their powers from the Celestial Bureau of Priestly Powers. In such a case, you should assign the Priest's spells to him in accordance with the needs of the Celestial Bureaucracy and without regard to the character's own wishes (reflecting the inflexible nature of bureaucratic administration). Under no circumstances will such priests receive granted powers or any other benefits normally reserved for priests using the specific mythos option.

On the other hand, if you wish to use the wider range of options available in the specific mythos rules, you may do so. Simply allow the priest to dedicate himself especially to a particular deity. While he is still bound to show the normal reverence to all gods, he can earn the special favors available in the mythos rules by showing extraordinary dedication to a particular deity.

New Spells[]

Ancestral Blessing (Priest Spell) - 2nd Level Priest Spell

New Magic Items[]

Sage Advice (Dragon Issue #200)[]

These are unofficial suggestions for using the optional spheres of priest spells from the Tome of Magic with the deities of the Chineese pantheon in Legends & Lore:

Shang-ti: Major: Law, Thought; Minor: War, Wards.
Kuan-ti: Major: War, Wards; Minor: Time, Thought.
Yen-Wang-Yeh: Major: Law; Minor: Time, Wards.
Fu Hsing: Major: Chaos; Minor: Time, Travelers.
Chung Kuel: Major: Numbers; Minor: Thought, Time.
Liu: Major: Time; Minor: Wards.
Lu Hsing: Major: Law; Minor: Wards.
Shou Hsing: Major: Time; Minor: Chaos.
Kuan Yin: Major: Wards; Minor: Travelers.
Chih-Nii: Major: Numbers; Minor: Thought.
Lei Kung: Major: Law; Minor: War.
Sung Chiang: Major: Time; Minor: Wards.
Lao Tzu: Major: Thought; Minor: None.
K'ung Fu-tzu: Major: Law; Minor: None.
The Dragon Kings: These deities grant no spells.
Ch'eng Huang: These local deities might grant minor access to any one of the following spheres: Time, Travelers, or Wards.