Religions of Ancient China

Herbert Giles was one of the greatest scholars of Chinese culture and his overview of the origins of the religions and philosophical trends that have dominated China over the millennia is a ground-breaking piece of scholarship. Giles, who was for many years professor of Chinese at the University of Cambridge, also helped create the romanization system for the pronunciation of Mandarin in English – the Wade-Giles system. In this book, Giles discusses the pre-historical sources of religious thought in China, the origins and implications of Taoism, Confuciansm and Buddhism, and also reviews other religions which has impacted on Chinese culture over the millennia.

“A thoughtful review of the origins of religious thinking in the Chinese world from one of the greatest sinologists of all time.” – Gareth Powell, author and publisher