The Netherworld in Ancient Egypt and China

An Imagined Paradise

Mu-chou Poo (Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

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English

Bloomsbury Academic
26 June 2025

Ancient religions & mythologies

Considering the striking similarities between the treatment of the dead and conceptions of the netherworld in ancient Egypt and China, how can we compare the two traditions?

Mu-chou Poo considers this question, and provides a new perspective on archaeological materials, including tomb structures and funerary texts, by addressing them in the context of universal human problems such as death, the future of the dead, and the search for happiness in life.

Poo chronologically reconstructs the emergence of the idea of the netherworld and its evolution in both ancient Egypt and ancient China. He explores the relationship between religious beliefs and social ethics in these civilizations, considers why similar social and material conditions could have produced varied expressions of the afterlife, and what such variations reveal about each culture.

Poo argues that a comparison between both visions of the netherworld and their relationship to life experience gives further insight into the nature of each civilization. Through this analysis, Poo shows that thematic comparison of ancient civilizations is not only possible, but also relevant to modern society.

By: Mu-chou Poo (Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 232mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 12mm
Weight: 260g
ISBN: 9780567702043
ISBN 10: 0567702049
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 26 June 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Mu-chou Poo is Research Professor of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Reviews for The Netherworld in Ancient Egypt and China: An Imagined Paradise

"""""A nuanced and well-focused work from one of the grand masters of comparative civilization studies. By peering through the lens of 'happiness' and reflecting the lived experience of the real world, Professor Poo gives us a fresh perspective on the afterlife in both Ancient Egypt and Early China. "" "" --Anthony Barbieri, Professor of Early Chinese History, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA"