Journal of Qujing Normal University ›› 2022, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4): 30-39.

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Tao of Heaven and Tao of Earth : Seeking the Source of Tao's Governance in Guanzi

GONG Weijun   

  1. School of Liberal Arts, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang Jiangsu 212013, China
  • Received:2022-05-25 Published:2022-08-04

Abstract: Guanzi is the holy text in pre-Qin period in China which contains a series of ideas for the powerful State of Qi put forward by Guan Zhong, including safeguarding a country, managing civilian affairs, holding sacrificial rituals and enlightening people, making financial plannings, and allocating resources. Among those ideas, the governance of mythical thinking, which upholds the ideas of Tao of heaven and Tao of earth, is the key term of maintaining the operation of social policies properly in State of Qi. The core idea which runs through Guanzi is the origin of the universe Tao. The article is based on archaeology and new myth history perspective of literary anthropology, refers to multiple evidences which can verify each other, including traditional classic documents, unearthed documents, archaeological artifacts and images, finds the causes from cosmogenesis level of Tao. Meanwhile, the article reveals that one of the valued mythological archetype is Tao of heaven which represented by sun, alludes Tao of earth which is the original adoration of Mother Earth. Hence, it forms the political myth which based on the universe Tao.

Key words: Guanzi, Tao of Heaven,Tao of Earth, Myth history, Quadruple-evidence approach

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