Religion of the Shang Civilisation

The people in the Shang Civilisation worshiped the "Shang Di," who was the supreme god that ruled over the lesser gods of the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain, and other natural forces and places. They also worshiped their ancestors because they believed that they lived in heaven after death and were still involved in their family's affairs. The kings talked to them through oracle bones and also made frequent sacrifices to them. They are used to ask the ancestors or gods for help and to feed the ancestors or gods to keep them strong. They believed that if they did not worship them properly, their family and the kingdom would experience many disasters.

The Shang thought very seriously about burial as they believed in the afterlife.The elaborate tombs of the Shang royal family showed their strong beliefs, while other tombs house lower-ranked people but still show their strong beliefs but could not be as elaborate as they are not very rich. This practice of burying lower-ranked people reflected the Shang's belief that a king's relative were expected to continue their relationship even in death.