The Shijing (Book of Odes) is a series of collections of Chinese poetry dating from as early as 1100 BCE and complied in about 600 BCE. Tradition has it that Confucius (See Confucius) collected some of the poems. The collection reflects the Chou dynasty sense of the relationship between humans and gods (See Chinese entries). The poems were set to music and sung in praise of gods and ancestors and were accompanied by particular rituals.
