In class we mentioned how religion had adapted to include new deities who would preside over commerce, money, and markets. It is somewhat surprising that those hadn’t already existed, particularly given the active and diverse markets of the Tang Dynasty. I wonder what power people had turned to for these matters before these deities were brought in. Did families have specific ancestors that they trusted with their economic concerns? I can’t imagine that before these deities came to be, people believed that the markets were completely secular, devoid of any influence from beyond, as it seems that ancestors and deities had their hands on all aspects of life.
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