Jessica Northcott
ERH 211X

The episode went through historical changes that occurred in the history of China and how it had affected the development and advancement of the civilization. It had also discussed the effect of western society on the Chinese. The biggest take away from the episode was the discussion on how even though society changes and technologies advance the mandate of heaven and the moral balance of the people do not change.
They believe that the moral order of Earth is sustained by virtue, reverence, and ancestors. They use oracle bones in order to communicate with ancestral in order to obtain wisdom. The oracle bones contain markings in the ancient Chinese language that was used at the foundations of the Tao Te Ching, which is the book of wisdom. They also had bronzers, which were used for sacrifices and ritual meals. The inscriptions on the bronzers tell the words of the ancestors, which are still used today.
The Chinese people also use the mandate of heaven as the basis of political power. It is considered a ruler’s greatest gift because they can only keep it if they are just to the citizens. Confucius, who was around when the Buddha lived, influenced this idea in that he wanted to build a just and stable a society. He believed that people were not innately good, and must be taught goodness. He believed in a moral society built on mutual respect and trust.
I also found the idea interesting that the reason the Ming voyages stopped because they wanted to focus on the inner harmony of their nation rather than what was going on around the world. The idea that all the knowledge of the past, present, and future could be contained in one place.
Today, China has a past of revolution and war with various dynasties collapsing. However, even though many political structures and families have changed, they maintain the idea of the Mandate of Heaven in which people will only support what they believe is right. It’s is shown in the Hexagram of Revolution that the two mistakes a ruler can make are to move with excessive haste and to be excessively ruthless to the people. The focus is still being just to the people.