Ancient China was ruled by dynasties. A dynasty is a line of rulers from the same family, which i often called the royal family. Starting in 1046 BCE, rulers from the Zhou (pronounced JO) dynasty claimed to have something called the Mandate of Heaven. A mandate is the authority to act in a certain way. What did it mean to have the Mandate of Heaven?
Heaven made the ruler rich. Heaven gave the ruler the authority to rule. Heaven required the ruler to pray every day. Heaven allowed the ruler to act however he wanted.
When a person has a mandate, it means that he or she is allowed to act in a certain way. In ancient China, the Mandate of Heaven meant that a ruler had special authority to rule, and that authority came from heaven.
The Mandate of Heaven gave a ruler permission to act in a certain way, so the ruler was not allowed to act however he wanted. The Mandate of Heaven did not force the ruler to pray or make the ruler rich.
What did "heaven" mean in ancient China?
People in ancient China did not think heaven was a place where people went after they died. Instead, heaven was a general force, like the universe or cosmos.