Mandate of Heaven

Examples of Mandate of Heaven in the following topics:

• The Mandate of Heaven

  • The Zhou Dynasty overthrew the Shang Dynasty, and used the Mandate of Heaven as justification.
  • Under the Zhou Dynasty, China moved away from worship of Shangdi ("Celestial Lord") in favor of worship of Tian ("heaven"), and they created the Mandate of Heaven.
  • The Mandate of Heaven did not require a ruler to be of noble birth, and had no time limitations.
  • The Zhou claimed that their rule was justified by the Mandate of Heaven.
  • However, the Mandate of Heaven philosophy carried on throughout ancient China.

• Society Under the Zhou Dynasty

  • Under the initial period of the Zhou Dynasty (called the Western Zhou period), a number of innovations were made, rulers were legitimized under the Mandate of Heaven, a feudal system developed, and new forms of irrigation allowed the population to expand.
  • A number of important innovations took place during this period: the Zhou moved away from worship of Shangdi, the supreme god under the Shang, in favor of Tian ("heaven"); they legitimized rulers, through the Mandate of Heaven (divine right to rule);  they moved to a feudal system; developed Chinese philosophy; and made new advances in irrigation that allowed more intensive farming and made it possible for the lands of China to sustain larger populations.
  • These include The Book of History and The Book of Diviners, which was used by fortune tellers.
  • While many of these writings have been destroyed over time, their lasting impression on history is evidence of the strength of Zhou culture.
  • At the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty's rule, the Duke of Zhou, a regent to the king, held a lot of power, and the king rewarded the loyalty of nobles and generals with large pieces of land.

• The Xia Dynasty

  • The final part of the Mythical Period was under the rule of the legendary Xia Dynasty, which may have been mythological.
  • The earliest comprehensive history of China is the Historical Records, written by Sima Qian, a renowned Chinese historiographer of the 2nd century BCE.
  • This history begins around 3600 BCE, with an account of the Five Emperors.
  • The Zhou created the idea of the "Mandate of Heaven," which stated that there could be only one legitimate ruler of China at any given time.
  • If he was a good ruler, he would have the support of heaven; if he was despotic, he would be overthrown.

• The Mongol Invasions

  • It was the khanate ruled by the successors of Möngke Khan after the division of the Mongol Empire.
  • In official Chinese histories, the Yuan dynasty bore the Mandate of Heaven, following the Song dynasty and preceding the Ming dynasty.
  • The Rise of Kublai Khan and the the Mongol Invasions of China
  • In 1271, Kublai formally claimed the Mandate of Heaven and declared that 1272 was the first year of the Great Yuan in the style of a traditional Chinese dynasty.
  • A portrait of the founder of Yuan dynasty, the Mongolian Kublai Khan.

• The Fall of the Han and the Three Kingdoms Period

  • After the death of Emperor Zhang (of the Eastern Han period's Rule of Ming and Zhang) in 88 CE, corrupt officials increasingly gained control of the state, while family feuds tore the dynasty apart.
  • Xian would be the last emperor of the Han Dynasty.
  • When Cao Cao died in 220 CE, Emperor Xian abdicated the throne, claiming that he had failed to keep the Mandate of Heaven.
  • This portrait of Dong Zhuo dates from a Qing Dynasty edition of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
  • Demonstrate the significance of the Battle of the Red Cliffs and the Three Kingdoms Period

• The Qin Dynasty

  • When the Qin state emerged victorious from the Warring States period in 221 BCE, the state's leader, King Zheng, claimed the Mandate of Heaven and established the Qin Dynasty.
  • The Qin Dynasty was one of the shortest in all of Chinese history, lasting only about 15 years, but it was also one of the most important.
  • This burning of books and execution of philosophers marked the end of the Hundred Schools of Thought.
  • Finally, Qin Shi Huang began the building of the Great Wall of China, one of the greatest construction feats of all time, to protect the nation against barbarians.
  • Sections of the Great Wall of China, from the part known as Jinshanling.

• Federal Mandates

  • According to the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), an intergovernmental mandate can take various forms.
  • Lastly, a reduction in federal funding for an existing mandate refers to a reduction or elimination of federal funding authorized to cover the costs of an existing mandate.
  • Vertically applied mandates refer to mandates directed by a level of government at a single department or program.
  • The increase of mandates in the 1980s and 1990s incited state and local protest.
  • They implemented a careful examination of the true costs of federal unfunded mandates.

• The 21st Amendment

  • The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had mandated nationwide Prohibition on alcohol on January 17, 1920.
  • The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
  • The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
  • This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

• Modern Chinese Painting

  • Some of the most enduring images of Cultural Revolution come from the poster art.
  • New styles were created by integrating traditional Chinese and Western painting techniques, such as Heaven Style Painting as exemplified by artist Shaoqiang Chen.
  • According to points of view by artists, art institutes, publications, and media, the Heaven Style painting was derived based on painting techniques from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and integrated techniques of perspective science and contemporary photography.
  • Elegance of the Lotus Looking from Heaven, by Shaoqiang Chen, Chinese Ink and Watercolor on Rice Paper
  • Shaoqiang Chen created a new style of Chinese painting in the 21st century known as Heaven Style painting.

• Romanesque Architecture: The Church of Saint-Lazare

  • Due to the veneration of relics in this period, the Bishop of Autun ordered the creation of a larger cathedral to house the relics and accommodate the influx of pilgrims into Autun.
  • The column capitals and main façade of the church are embellished with realistic sculptures carved by Gislebertus, and the artwork is a means of teaching the masses of Christian ethics with dramatic scenes of heaven and hell.
  • The cathedral of St.
  • Peter guards the gate to heaven and looks on as resurrected individuals attempt to squeeze in with the assistance of the angels.
  • In the Last Judgement, Gislebertus successfully integrated the modern view of heaven and hell and created a sculpture that would act as a visual educational device for individuals who were illiterate.