Cultural Connotation of Ancient Astronomy in China

Ancient astronomy in China is related to ancient religions in China.

China thought in ancient times that everything in the world was dominated by "heaven". God has absolute authority. The world ruled by heaven is called "the world".

The emperor, also known as the son of heaven, is the son of heaven. This is the source of strength that the prince found for himself. The emperor was appointed by heaven to govern the world.

Therefore, the emperor must be responsible for heaven. Therefore, one of the important political activities of the emperor is "offering sacrifices to heaven". That is, report the work results to the sky and review the mistakes or mistakes in the work.

But how does heaven respond to the work report of the son of heaven? That is to remind the son of heaven with all kinds of extraordinary astronomical or meteorological events. Such as supernovae, comets, eclipses, etc. They are all evaluations of the emperor's work. The emperor must do self-examination and correct his mistakes.

So astronomy was very important in ancient China!

For the son of heaven, it is not a superstition, but a unique religious belief in China.

Astronomy, produced by the belief of the Emperor in Heaven, is a scientific expression of religion.