Painting by Ma Lin, scholar under a pine tree
A Chinese Relationship with Nature
This has not really come into my books but I have been thinking about it for years. Since I've recently finished my study of Daoism, I think I can explain something of what I know. To start with: I posit that there are cultures which venerate nature. Perhaps most notably in East Asia we have Japan where Shinto IS nature worship (see Kami). Japanese worship nature in a deep way as they see the Kami (demi-gods) which they believe are present in most beautiful places. About half a million Japanese hike to the summit of Mt. Fuji every year and they aren’t just doing it for the great view. In Catholic Europe, there was a strong aspect of nature veneration (derived from the Bible, since God created the world and…