Ancient Chinese religion draws from a vast heritage of sacred books, which according to the general worldview treat cosmology, history and mythology, mysticism and philosophy, as aspects of the same thing.
Historically, the revolutionary shift toward a preference for textual transmission and text-based knowledge over long-standing oral traditions first becomes detectable in the 1st century CE.
The spoken word, however, never lost its power.
Rather than writing replacing the power of the spoken word, both existed side by side.
Scriptures had to be recited and heard in order to be efficacious, and the limitations of written texts were acknowledged particularly in Taoism and folk religion.

There are the classic books (經 jīng, "warp") such as the Confucian canon including the "Four Books and Five Classics" (四書五經 Sìshū wǔjīng) and the "Classic of Filial Piety" (孝經 Xiàojīng), then there are the Mozi (Mohism), the Huainanzi, the Shizi and the Xunzi.
The "Interactions Between Heaven and Mankind" (天人感應 Tiānrén Gǎnyìng) is a set of Confucianised doctrines compiled in the Han dynasty by Dong Zhongshu, discussing politics in accordance with a personal Tian of whom mankind is viewed as the incarnation.

Taoism has a separate body of philosophical, theological and ritual literature, including the fundamental Daodejing (道德經 "Book of the Way and its Virtue"), the Daozang (Taoist Canon), the Liezi and the Zhuangzi, and a great number of other texts either included or not within the Taoist Canon.
Vernacular literature and the folk religious sects have produced a great body of popular mythological and theological literature, the baojuan (寶卷 "precious scrolls").

Recent discovery of ancient books, such as the "Guodian texts" in the 1990s and the Huangdi sijing (黃帝四經 "Four Books of the Yellow Emperor") in the 1970s, has given rise to new interpretations of the ancient  Chinese religion and new directions in its post-Maoist renewal.
Many of these books overcome the dichotomy between Confucian and Taoist traditions.
The Guodian texts include, among others, the Taiyi Shengshui (太一生水 "The Great One Gives Birth to Water").
Another book attributed to the Yellow Emperor is the Huangdi yinfujing (黃帝陰符經 "Yellow Emperor's Book of the Hidden Symbol").

Classical books of mythology include the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" (山海經 Shānhǎijīng), the "Record of Heretofore Lost Works" (拾遺記 Shíyíjì), "The Peach Blossom Spring" (桃花源記 Táohuāyuánjì), the "Investiture of the Gods" (封神演義 Fēngshén yǎnyì), and the "Journey to the West" (西遊記 Xīyóujì) among others.
Ancient Chinese religion draws from a vast heritage of sacred books, which according to the general worldview treat cosmology, history and mythology, mysticism and philosophy, as aspects of the same thing. Historically, the revolutionary shift toward a preference for textual transmission and text-based knowledge over long-standing oral traditions first becomes detectable in the 1st century CE. The spoken word, however, never lost its power. Rather than writing replacing the power of the spoken word, both existed side by side. Scriptures had to be recited and heard in order to be efficacious, and the limitations of written texts were acknowledged particularly in Taoism and folk religion.
There are the classic books (經 jīng, "warp") such as the Confucian canon including the "Four Books and Five Classics" (四書五經 Sìshū wǔjīng) and the "Classic of Filial Piety" (孝經 Xiàojīng), then there are the Mozi (Mohism), the Huainanzi, the Shizi and the Xunzi. The "Interactions Between Heaven and Mankind" (天人感應 Tiānrén Gǎnyìng) is a set of Confucianised doctrines compiled in the Han dynasty by Dong Zhongshu, discussing politics in accordance with a personal Tian of whom mankind is viewed as the incarnation.
Taoism has a separate body of philosophical, theological and ritual literature, including the fundamental Daodejing (道德經 "Book of the Way and its Virtue"), the Daozang (Taoist Canon), the Liezi and the Zhuangzi, and a great number of other texts either included or not within the Taoist Canon. Vernacular literature and the folk religious sects have produced a great body of popular mythological and theological literature, the baojuan (寶卷 "precious scrolls").
Recent discovery of ancient books, such as the "Guodian texts" in the 1990s and the Huangdi sijing (黃帝四經 "Four Books of the Yellow Emperor") in the 1970s, has given rise to new interpretations of the ancient  Chinese religion and new directions in its post-Maoist renewal. Many of these books overcome the dichotomy between Confucian and Taoist traditions. The Guodian texts include, among others, the Taiyi Shengshui (太一生水 "The Great One Gives Birth to Water"). Another book attributed to the Yellow Emperor is the Huangdi yinfujing (黃帝陰符經 "Yellow Emperor's Book of the Hidden Symbol").
Classical books of mythology include the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" (山海經 Shānhǎijīng), the "Record of Heretofore Lost Works" (拾遺記 Shíyíjì), "The Peach Blossom Spring" (桃花源記 Táohuāyuánjì), the "Investiture of the Gods" (封神演義 Fēngshén yǎnyì), and the "Journey to the West" (西遊記 Xīyóujì) among others.
Chinese folk religion