The Mandate of Heaven-the right to Rule the Middle Kingdom

The Mandate of Heaven is the divine (God ('s) given) right to rule the Middle Kingdom given to the Emperor, it is given based on four principles:

1. The right to rule is granted by Heaven (realm of the Jade Emperor).
2. There is only one Heaven therefore there can be only one ruler.
3. The right to rule is based on the high virtue (Confucian principles of quality of his leadership) of the ruler.
4. The right to rule can be passed down to family members of the dynasty but is not limited to one dynasty. (poor quality rulers/dynasties can lose the Mandate of Heaven and be replaced. The mere fact that a leader has been overthrown is itself proof that he has lost the Mandate of Heaven.)