What link was there between
their religious beliefs and their rulers?
Ancient Chinese believed in heaven and hell, gods and spirits. The Emperors of ancient China were also known as the 'Son of the Heaven', and recognized as the ruler of 'all under heaven'. It is an ancient Chinese belief that heaven granted emperors the right to rule based on their ability to govern well and fairly. Thus the emperors had the supreme power over the whole country. They claimed the Mandate of Heaven and participated in Chinese religious practices.