What is the origin and development of Taoism?

Taoism originated in China and has a long history. China from the flood era, human beings first began to seek the protection of nature, so that everything is animistic. This is the first theory (English: animism) that appeared before primitive humans formed religion, and then it produced respect for nature, soul and ancestors, until it gradually evolved into the unity of ancestors and gods in the long river of history, becoming the supreme belief in heaven and the embryonic form of various supreme gods in later generations. In primitive society, sages have questioned the meaning of life and challenged the limits of human life. The ancestor of the descendants of the Yellow Emperor, the ancestor of the Chinese nation, and the leader of the ancient tribal alliance, Xuanyuan Huangdi should be the first person. According to "Historical Records", "The Yellow Emperor asked Guang Chengzi".

By the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the prehistoric respect for nature had developed from Xu An's belief in Heaven Emperor and Destiny. In the Book of Pan Geng: "The first king had clothes and kept his destiny." Destiny actually refers to awe and belief in the laws of nature. Xun's "On Tian Zi" said: "If you boast from heaven, it is better to use it to control the destiny!" At this time, a deity system centered on the Emperor of Heaven was initially formed. In the ancient tribal society, the political sacrifice was unity, and the national affairs were divined by the great wizard in advance to ask the Heaven Emperor for answers. (The wizard is a person who acts as an intermediary between God and the lower emperor and is in charge of national sacrifices. Witchcraft was a noble profession in ancient times and even in Shang Dynasty. When Xuanyuan Huangdi went to war, Wu Xian was invited to bow. All state affairs, big or small, must be approved by them. If they don't agree, even if other rulers agree, things won't work. The worship of ghosts and gods in the Zhou Dynasty developed further, and the ghosts and gods they believed in had formed three complete systems: gods, ghosts and earth gods. The worship of ancestors' gods is juxtaposed with the sacrifice of heaven and earth, which is called respecting heaven and ancestors.