China's culture can be traced back thousands of years before the
common era and so can its religion. Before modern religions came
about, China had already built up a religious world view that,
in some respects, remnants through to today. In this philosophy,
there is an earth, where we all live and work, and a heaven,
where our ancestors live after death. While living on earth, it
is important for a person to venerate the ancestors past; for
although they cannot speak, the ancestors have quite a power
over the world and have a tendency to send omens to the mortals
below. The life of the average person is an escalation to the
seat of heaven, and while one lives his or her life, the others
around the person watch him or her progress in maturity to
reside ultimately in heaven. The wisest man in a town is seen to
be the man with the most years, and also as the man who was most
heavenly. However, while on earth, a person must never forget
their ancestors, and should make sacrifices and acknowledgments
to those that