CHINA Also known as Zhnggu which means MIDDLE KINGDOM or "central country.

. was used to refer to the late Zhou Dynasty, as they believed that they were the "center of civilization, Zhnggu" implied a claim of political legitimacy, and

It would then transfer to those who would rule best. Due in parts to the Mandate of Heaven, Chinese emperors were considered 'god-like', as rulers sent from heaven. The Mandate of Heaven had no time limitations, instead depending on the just and able performance of the ruler.

In the past, times of poverty and natural disasters were taken as signs "Zhnggu" was often used by that heaven considered the incumbent states who saw themselves as the sole ruler unjust and thus in need of legitimate successor to previous replacement Chinese dynasties It was used throughout the The Mandate of Heaven does not history of China to support the rule of require that a legitimate ruler be of the Emperors of China noble birth, and dynasties were often founded by people of modest birth The Mandate of Heaven is based on four leading ideas The concept of the Mandate of Heaven was first used to support the 1.The right to rule China is granted rule of the kings of the Zhou Dynasty, by Heaven. and their overthrow of the earlier 2. There can be only one legitimate Shang dynasty. ruler of China. MANDATE OF HEAVEN . The right to rule is based on the is a traditional Chinese virtue of the ruler and his good philosophical concept concerning the performance as a steward for legitimacy of rulers. Heaven. 4. The right to rule may be passed down from father to son, but only on the conditions established above.

It sought to legitimize rule from divine approval

It postulates that heaven would These four leading ideas have bless the authority of a just ruler, but important implications: would be displeased with a despotic Legitimization of the ruling ruler and would withdraw its mandate, a. leading to the overthrow of that ruler. house in the eyes of the people who come under its sway

b. Times of divided rule require some rationalization after the fact to establish which ruler can claim truly to have the Mandate c. The rulers put checks on their own behavior, and are encouraged to invest in the well-being of their subjects. d. D. The rulers necessarily fear rebellion, possibly because they believe in active intervention from Heaven, and/or possibly because they know that misbehavior will give positive sanction to attempts by others to overthrow them. e. the title of emperor was transmitted from father to son via first-born right of inheritance (primogeniture) f. It was moral integrity and benevolent leadership that determined the holder of the "Mandate of Heaven. g. If the ruler became immoral, then rebellion is justified and heaven would take away that mandate and give it to another. FORBIDDEN CITY It was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties In the feudal society, emperors had supreme power, so this residence was certainly a forbidden place It was called the Forbidden City because it was forbidden for commoners or even uninvited nobility to enter its sacred precincts.

The Forbidden City was home to an enormous number of people, as many as nine thousand in the high point of the Qing Dynasty, including the royal family, concubines, servants, guards, and civil servants, many of whom entered service in the Forbidden City never to leave again during their lifetimes. It was the home and center of government for 24 emperors of China through the end of the Ming Dynasty and the entirety of the Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty, until the overthrow of Imperial Rule in the early part of the Twentieth Century. The last royal inhabitant of the Forbidden City was Pu Yi Lions in the Forbidden City are in pairs, the female extending her leg to play with a baby lion - symbolizing fertility of the royal family. The male lion has a ball under its paw, representing the imperial power Yellow is a royal colour, thus the colour of the roof tiles. The red colour of the walls symbolize happiness and auspiciousness Animal ornaments commonly decorate the cornerThe more animals the more important the buildings of roofs.. On the far left is a dragon and on the right an immortal rides a phoenix. The emperor was personified as the "Son of

Heaven" or the supreme ruler under heaven. The emperor's palace was off limits to commoners who were not allowed to even approach it.