Philosophy and ReligionChina's history has been full of cultural richness, mainly because of the way it progressed with philosophy and religion. Since the beginning of Chinese civilization, philosophy and religion have been at the forefront of Chinese culture. From ancient oracle bones and bronze inscriptions to the development of different schools of thought, the Chinese have always been adept at philosophy and religion. And throughout their history, they have combined the two in a way that meets their needs, through this evolution and combination of the two, they have become a strong nation. Oracle bones were the cornerstone of early Chinese dynasties such as the Shang. from around 1200-1050 BC (Shang p. 1). In one of the articles he attempts to explain the use of these bones by saying that the kings of the Shang dynasty "attempted to communicate with the spiritual forces that ruled their world by reading the stress cracks in cattle bones …” (Shang 1). . These kings applied a heated poker to the bones, which produced cracks which they analyzed based on the direction and depth of the crack. Recently, these bones and the records of the king's analysis were discovered. An estimated 150,000 oracle bones have been found and refer to the Shang god Di (Shang p. 1). This type of analysis by kings is an early form of religion and the building blocks of philosophy and later schools of thought in Chinese history. A great progression can be seen between the oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty and the emergence of Confucius (551). -479 BC) (Ebrey text p. 42). Oracle bones served as the basis for the development of schools of thought and religion in China. ......middle of paper ......has come a long way from its origins. Early schools of thought based on the teaching of Confucius played a key role in China's progression. This shaped their overall political structure and modes of worship. With the help of students like Mencius and Xzuni, Confucianism was able to expand and incorporate religious aspects that made it a hybrid philosophy. From there, Taoism came into the picture and gave people more choices instead of being forced into Confucianism. But it wasn't until hundreds of years later that a real religion came into play, Buddhism. To adapt to the change, Taoism reemerged as a religion so that it could further spread its message and continue to influence political authority in China. Overall, all these schools of thought and religions have played an extremely important role in the political structure of China and in the development of this country..