The civilization that never needed God

This is probably the single feature that makes China the most unique as a civilization in human history: it is pretty much the only one where religion never had a say in political affairs.

Think about any other civilization - India, Persia, ancient Egypt, European civilization, the Incas: they all had a priestly class that held considerable political power. China? Never.

China was, for all intents and purposes and for over 3,000 years, always rigorously secular.

This is well-illustrated by one of my favorite China stories ever. In the 16th century European missionaries, most of them Jesuits, started to go to China to attempt to convert the country to Christianity. The most impactful of these missionaries - by far - was Matteo Ricci, a historical figure unfortunately far too unknown but probably one of the most consequential men in history.