Page "Qin Dynasty" Paragraph 31

The dominant religious belief in China during the reign of the Qin, and, in fact, during much of early imperial China, was focused on the shen ( roughly translating to " spirits "), yin (" shadows "), and the realm they were said to live in.

The Chinese offered sacrifices in an attempt to contact this other world, which they believed to be parallel to the earthly one.

The dead were said to simply have moved from one world to the other.

The rituals mentioned, as well as others, served two purposes: to ensure that the dead journeyed and stayed in the other realm, and to receive blessings from the spirit realm.