On October 25, 2009, this Blog was moved to:  
http://learningchina.wordpress.com/

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The Mandate of Heaven almost ended Communism in China after Mao's death in 1976. The reason for that was because everyone in China suffered horribly. Thirty-seven million people died because of Mao's Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.

The Mandate of Heaven has been traced back to 1753 B.C. (almost four thousand years). It is obvious that the ‘Five Great Relationships’, as taught by Confucius, and the ‘Mandate of Heaven’ are infused in the Chinese thought process. Piety, face, The Five Great Relationships, and the Mandate of Heaven are the foundation for much of the culture of China and the thought process and/or behavior of most Chinese.

To survive after Mao, change had to happen, so the Communist Party created term limits. A public official can only hold office for two, five-year terms and must stand for reelection for the second term. There is also an age limit set at sixty-seven, which means retirement from public office. Deng Xiaoping also repudiated the Cultural Revolution and in 1977, launched ‘Beijing Spring’, where the suffering that occurred during much of Mao’s twenty-seven year rule was criticized. The next step led to a market economy and China’s prosperity today.

Regardless of the fact that the rest of the world calls the rulers of China Communists, it is clear to most Chinese that the Mandate of Heaven shifted from Mao to Hua Guofeng and Deng Xiaoping and their predecessors. It will be up to the future rulers of China not to lose that mandate. To rule, they must continue to be just and fair by Chinese standards. They do not have to worry about what the rest of the world thinks or says.