Chinese folk religion is often described as diffuse and local, yet beneath this diversity lies a clear sense of hierarchy and structure. At the cosmic level, the world of spirits is frequently envisioned as a celestial bureaucracy modeled on the old imperial state, with the Jade Emperor or Heaven occupying the highest position. Below this supreme figure stand major deities associated with vast domains such as heaven, earth, water, fate, and longevity, alongside powerful gods like city gods, dragon kings, and widely revered figures such as Mazu or Guan Yu. Further down are regional and functional gods who preside over specific cities, villages, professions, or aspects of life, and at the most intimate level, household deities such as the Stove God and door gods, whose influence is confined to the family or small community. This graded order of spirits, with notions of rank, office, and even promotion or demotion, reflects a deep intuition that the unseen world mirrors the layered structure of human society.

A comparable hierarchy appears in the veneration of ancestors. Lineage founders and senior ancestors occupy the most honored positions in ancestral halls and genealogies, while more recent generations are arranged beneath them in a clear order of precedence. Ritual offerings follow this pattern, moving from the most senior or foundational figures down to later descendants, and within the household, deceased elders are ritually superior to younger relatives. Ancestors are not merely remembered; they function as intermediaries whose status is shaped by lineage position and perceived merit, echoing the graded relationships of the living family.

Human religious life within this tradition is also structured by rank and role, even without a single centralized church. Ritual specialists—Daoist ritual masters, temple priests, spirit-mediums, Buddhist monks, and other experts—stand in a higher ritual position than ordinary laypeople when complex ceremonies are performed. In family rites, the household head, traditionally the senior male, leads offerings to ancestors and household gods, while in village or town festivals, temple committees, community leaders, and major sponsors hold recognized authority. At the same time, there is no overarching institution that enforces a uniform order: temples and communities select their own deities, shape their own ritual calendars, and allow local gods to rise in prestige when they are believed to be especially effective. Thus, Chinese folk religion embodies a paradoxical blend of cosmic order and grassroots autonomy, where hierarchy is real yet always adapted to local experience and devotion.