One of the most important pieces of knowledge for time travelers going back to ancient China to know is that ancestors went from being feared and respected to being seen as pitiful. From the Shang through the warring states period ancestors were seen as powerful beings worthy of fear and respect. During the Han dynasty, people were more dependent on their ancestors than respectful or fearful of them. What I mean by this is the ancient Chinese during the Han dynasty viewed ancestors as pathetic ghosts and depended on them to not pass down punishments to the living. People tried their hardest to appeal to their ancestors by providing them with sufficient offerings to help sustain them in the afterlife. Offerings to the dead in their tombs are referred to as mingqi which is a broad category consisting of replicas of servants, weapons, and utensils. If you do not want to be punished by an unhappy ancestor I highly recommend giving him/her plenty of objects and tools for him/her to have a successful and happy existence in the afterlife.
Another important aspect of the afterlife to be aware of is that commoners had a more grim view of life after death than elites did. This is attributed to the fact that commoners did not have as many burial goods provided to them as elites did after they died to help sustain them in the afterlife. No matter what a person’s rank in society was, he/she certainly believed that life did not end after a person died, but merely continued in the afterlife. When visiting ancient China it is not advised to make jokes about the afterlife or ancestors as this is inappropriate and could get you in trouble. Also, remember that many ancient Chinese people had tough lives and needed a concept of life after death to cling onto, even if it was not ideal. Good luck and have safe travels!
Bibliography
Colburn Clydesdale, Heather. “The Vibrant Role of Mingqi in Early Chinese Burials .” The MET, April 2009. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mgqi/hd_mgqi.htm.
Von Glahn, Richard. “The Han Cult of the Dead and Salvific Religion.” In The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture, 45-77. University of California Press, 2004. Accessed February 8, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1pp0n9.8
