TIAN (Heaven) a primitive concept of ecology in ancient China

Abstract

 In ancient China, the word "Heaven" designated a concept of broad political and philosophical implications. Many authors considered that the concept "Heaven" had a religious significance, given their importance. However, we will seek to show that for the ancient Chinese, the concept of "Heaven" could mean a primitive conception of "Ecology", not "Divinity", based on readings of Tang Yijie (1988), Zhang Dainian (ibid) and John Berthrong (1998).