One of the great concerns of Chinese mythology is order, and many ancient tales reiterate the belief that natural disasters on earth were caused by disharmony. There are thousands of Chinese gods, many of whom lived on earth and returned to heaven once a year to report on the affairs of men. Popular superstition held that many ordinary household objects had their own guardian spirit that required offerings. Heaven was viewed as a vast bureaucracy headed by the god Shangdi, known as the Jade Emperor, or Tian ('Sky') in Taoist belief. Book jacket.