Compare and Contrast -- Indus Valley and China

            Though 3,000 miles away, the Chinese and Indus Valley are very much alike—in terms of politics and religion. Both civilizations demonstrate a centralized state, but the Chinese centralized state was more prominent than the Indus Valley, due to archeological research. These centralized governments were run by Indian priest kings and the Chinese Zhou dynasty. Because of this, the Indus Valley developed a more religious structure—as opposed to the Chinese belief in honor. In regards to religion, both civilizations pushed polytheism, which is the belief of multiple deities. Chinese religion focuses heavily on the idea of faith in ancestry, while people from the Indus Valley established the idea of reincarnation.

             In spite of the fact that the Chinese and Indus civilizations had similarities in their politics, these civilizations’ polytheistic ideals started to differentiate themselves as time progressed. The Indus Valley mentality of reincarnation eventually turned itself into Hinduism—while its’ Chinese counterpart (Shang religion) believed that Gods controlled multiple aspects of daily life—also known as the “Mandate of Heaven”. What this “Mandate” granted was access to heavenly powers—as long as they were faithful in their decisions.