I've come to learn about the only openly atheistic country of note and right off the bat in an introduction an american is trying to redifine religion in order to persuade me that non-religious people don't exist because religion really just means "structural values", and that right after pointing out correctly that indeed religion is just one element of broader culture. Perhaps that broader culture might be where "structural values" come from instead? Not exactly what I would call trustworthy or worthwhile source of information, but then again, being an atheist I apparently don't even exist, and neither does this review.

Excellent course on China's early culture surrounding this era and covering Daoism, Taoism and Confucianism.

I appreciate with sincerity that the material of this course is offered at all. It's not like you have a bunch of choices when you want to learn this particular subject matter in a free, non-credit, online form. For the most part the assigned readings were outstanding. I read the entirety of the text and found answers to things I had considered in the past.

The course could be improved in a few ways. First instead of the videos primarily showing the instructor talking with an occasional Power Point slide, something else should be displayed. This could included some things such as maps, pictures of the individuals discussed, time lines, and images of some of the places discussed. It is of little benefit to show someone talking and showing slides of text that is in the transcript. Second, the lectures and quizzes do not do service to the readings. The readings are extensive and detailed. I understand that the class cannot cover everything, but a 10 to 20 minute lecture is maybe covering 20% of the material and the quizzes even less.

To be clear I appreciate that this material is offered at all. With a few improvements to presentation this course would be even better.

Excellent course! A really enjoyable dive into the religious history of China. I'd recommend getting the course books if you can as the recommended readings provide a lot of context. I studied The Chinese University of Hong Kong's courses on Chinese Traditional Medicine before this, which was also beneficial. This course really was fascinating and I can't wait to take the follow up three!

This course was a revelation. I had taken it at CUHK 10 years ago and it stayed with me ever since. I am so grateful that CUHK has decided to share Dr. Lagerwey's course with the world. It is a true eye-opener for those who are interested in China, but have not managed to go past the news, modern cultural propaganda and also mainstream ideas about Chinese history and thought, which mainly derive from a focus on a limited number of elite documents and elite intellectual debates (Confucius, Laozi, court-sponsored historical records, etc.), while disregarding historical context and misrepresenting the major influence that religious discourse has had on Chinese thought and on the organization of Chinese society at all levels, including at the level of the elites. It was also the first time I got information on the importance of popular religion and local communities in China, which delivers a serious blow to the usual top-down views on Chinese history and society. In sum, this course (together with the 3 additional courses presented by Dr. Lagerwey) provides an excellent framework and a slew of textual sources (sometimes confronting them with contradictory archaeological evidence) that allow us to understand how power has been obtained, maintained and consolidated with each paradigm shift, especially at the level of discourse, throughout all of Chinese documented history, since the Shang dynasty to the present day.

I really enjoyed this course! Although I already had a good deal of background knowledge on Chinese philosophy, this course could further add to it substantially! Lectures are easy to listen to. Readings, if taken seriously, definitely take longer than just 10 mins. For total beginners I think it may take more effort and time to understand the sometimes complex topics. I could definitely manage with 2 hours a week in addition to the lectures.

Muy buen curso, ordenado y con información de primera. Vengo ya de una práctica de más de diez años en medicina, artes internas y metafísica chinas y los contenidos de este curso me han permitido posicionarme mejor históricamente y entender de dónde provienen muchos de los conocimientos que me dedico a estudiar.

This wasn't even close to what I thought it was. I appreciate that this course is available online. It provides a much needed survey of an important theme throughout Chinese history. I'm looking forward to the other three.

Fascinating course on an era of intellectual change .Those Ancient elite literati knew a thing or two about how to use propaganda and ritual.

Great course, wonderful professor! Thank you for this excellent journey into amazing Chinese culture! Looking forward to the upcoming parts!

A challenging but rewarding class. Good instructor. I'd like the instructor to show a outline at the beginning of each module.

Thank you so much Prof Lagerwey and Coursera. All my gratitude for this brilliant journey.

Very thorough and with a very inspiring and knowledgeable lecturer. Highly recommended!

Brilliant course. Strongly recommended to anyone who teaches and studies ancient China.

E​xcellent course with very intense information and good quality formation

This is an extremely interesting, informative and inspiring course

​very interesting and well explained

I really have fond of this course !

worth the while to do this studies

More challenging and advanced than I anticipated. I recommend this course for those who are already familiar with Chinese culture and history and want to deepen their knowledge. Not as an introduction for beginners. But if you give it the commitment it requires, you will learn a lot about early Chinese religion. Take notes, memorize the terms, and watch the videos multiple times. Then take the quizzes. If you get a low score, go over the material again. I give it 4 out of 5 stars because I think the presentation could be better. Also, if you are interested in Taoism, Buddhism and/or Qigong, be aware that he approaches it as an academic, not a practitioner. I guess that's expected for a course like this. Thanks, Coursera, for making this series on early Chinese religion free.

Gives a good overview of the major changes in the period. Doesn't always go into all the necessary details, but for an overview that's ok. Would recommend some background knowledge or having studied academic history before taking this.

Very interesting and informative! My only criticism is that I thought the quizzes were frustrating and not very helpful; there was too much emphasis on Chinese terms or specific phrases.

Interesting and thought provoking. Would have given 5 stars if there was extra reading provided or recommended beyond the volume used which is too expensive to buy in the UK

Instructor is expert in everything Chinese and quite interesting.

Good presentation on the intellectual thinking, thank you !