Written more than 2,000 years ago, the ancient classic “Zhou Yi,” or “The Book of Changes” contains a passage that means just as the heavens exhibit vitality through their movement, a virtuous person should strive constantly; and just as the earth’s terrain is yielding, a virtuous person should possess a spirit of benevolence.
In the eyes of the ancient Chinese, the earth was the source of all life’s birth, growth, and development. They revered the earth and believed that a virtuous person should be like the earth: broad-minded, accommodating all things. This is the creed that the Chinese people have adhered to for millennia — embracing the world with virtue.