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Wee Kek Koon

In the early afternoon of March 28, 2025. a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay, in central Myanmar, followed by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock moments later.
Within minutes, social media and the internet were deluged with videos of the earthquake, many of which originated in Bangkok, Thailand, about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the epicentre of the quake.
We saw frightening scenes of swaying skyscrapers, water cascading from rooftop swimming pools and panicking people in the streets in the Thai capital.
A building under construction near the popular Chatuchak Weekend Market collapsed, killing and trapping dozens of workers in the rubble.

Footage from Myanmar itself was slower to reach the outside world, but when it did, the level of devastation was a terrible sight to see.
By April 4, the death toll had risen to more than 3,300 in Myanmar, with hundreds of people still missing, and to 22 in neighbouring Thailand.
Before modern science taught us about shifting tectonic plates, the ancient Chinese believed that earthquakes were cosmic warnings triggered by political chaos or a misbehaving ruler. In their view, the universe ran on a delicate balance of yin and yang, and when things got out of whack the ground shook.
Take the earthquake of 780BC, two years into the reign of King You of the Western Zhou dynasty, which occurred near the then Chinese capital, Xian, in present-day Shaanxi province. The king’s astrologer saw it as a sign of brewing trouble for the ruling dynasty.
According to him, the dark, passive yin energy had overpowered the bright, active yang energy, and that imbalance led to the Earth literally rumbling in protest.

King You was notorious for his foolishness. He famously faked enemy attacks just to amuse his favourite consort, Bao Si, later identified as an alleged source of the overwhelming yin energy. In 771BC, nomadic people from the west invaded the Western Zhou capital. They killed King You and took off with loot and captives.
The fall of the Western Zhou dynasty, even if it occurred nine long years after the portentous earthquake, was a validation, in the eyes of many, of the royal astrologer’s interpretation of the earthquake of 780BC.
In 30BC, a solar eclipse and an earthquake occurred on the same day. An official suggested to Emperor Cheng of the Western Han dynasty the double portent was the result of intense competition among the emperor’s consorts that produced an excess of yin energy.
The infighting in the imperial harem created chaos in government, and the political fortunes of the various consorts’ families rose and fell in tandem with the imperial favour shown these women. The replacement of one politically dominant family by another was often accompanied by bloodshed and mayhem.

But while they leaned heavily on supernatural explanations, the ancient Chinese were more advanced than the rest of the world in detecting and recording earthquakes. The brilliant inventor Zhang Heng (AD78-139) of the Eastern Han dynasty created the world’s first seismoscope. While the ancient gadget did not explain why earthquakes happened, it could detect distant tremors.
Fast forward to the early Qing dynasty, when a big earthquake struck during the reign of the Shunzhi emperor (1644-1661). Some officials resigned out of guilt, assuming their bad governance had angered the heavens and thus caused the disaster.
Shunzhi, however, blamed himself, admitting that he must have made mistakes and asking his ministers to help him improve.
Theories about earthquakes in premodern China may not hold up in the face of modern science, but they do tell us a lot about how people understood the world then. Earthquakes were not random disasters – they were messages from the heavens, warning people of misgovernment and iniquitous times, and that momentous changes were imminent.
That said, many people around the world today still choose to believe in supernatural or religious explanations for natural calamities. It is the only way they can make sense of the death and destruction they cause.


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The ancient Chinese saw earthquakes as messages from the heavens. Why?

King You of ancient China’s Western Zhou dynasty famously faked enemy attacks to amuse his favourite consort, Bao Si. An earthquake two years into his reign was interpreted as a portent of brewing trouble. Photo: Getty Images

Workers spray disinfectant to sterilise the rubble of a collapsed building in Mandalay, days after a major earthquake struck central Myanmar. Photo: AFP

Before modern science taught us about shifting tectonic plates, the ancient Chinese believed that earthquakes were cosmic warnings. Photo: Shutterstock 

A postage stamp bearing an image of Chinese scientist Zhang Heng (78-139 AD). He created the world’s first seismoscope.

How sesame oil sparked a stir-fry revolution in ancient China as it displaced animal fats

The advent of vegetable oils in ancient China sparked a stir-fry revolution. Photo: Shutterstock

A Taiwanese brand of sesame oil sold in Hong Kong. When the oil replaced animal fats in the kitchens of ancient China, stir-frying took off and was soon all the rage. Photo: SCMP

A 1955 advertisement for Kraft Margarine. Margarine was once marketed as a “healthier” alternative to butter. Photo: Getty Images

A protected area of Indonesia’s Rawa Singkil wildlife reserve being burnt in preparation for the opening of a new palm oil plantation. Any mention of palm oil immediately conjures up negative connotations for most people. Photo: AFP

Peanut oil is still one of the most popular oils used in Chinese cooking. Photo: Shutterstock

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Book bans and burnings ordered in Qin dynasty China meant the loss of much knowledge for all eternity. Similar orders were seen in Nazi Germany. Now US conservatives are banning books. Photo: Getty Images

The Library of Congress in Washington. The Trump administration has dismissed the idea that it is banning books. Photo: Shutterstock

German soldiers and civilians in 1933 give the Nazi salute as thousands of books smoulder during one of the mass book burnings implemented throughout the country. Photo: Getty Images

Nazi salute or no, Elon Musk’s gesture reminds us when and when not to celebrate culture

Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the parade in Washington on January 20, 2025 to mark Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president. Musk’s gesture drew comparisons with Nazi salutes. Photo: AFP

Adolf Hitler receives the salute of supporters as he leaves the Munich headquarters of Germany’s National Socialist (Nazi) party in 1931. The Nazi salute is banned in Germany and several other countries. Photo: AP

A woman wearing hanfu in the Forbidden City in Beijing. The hanfu movement aims to revive clothing once traditionally worn by Chinese of Han ethnicity. Photo: EPA-EFE

Chinese President Xi Jinping performing a version of the yi greeting while visiting an ancient cultural street in northern China’s Tianjin municipality in 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Year of the Snake 2025 predictions for 12 zodiac signs. How is your health, luck, wealth?

Feng shui master Tong Pik-ha predicts the varying fortunes of people born under the 12 Chinese zodiac signs in the coming Year of the Snake. Illustrations: Victor Sanjinez

Lifestyle

Chinese culture

In ancient China, tremors were seen as cosmic warnings of misrule. China was also more advanced than the rest of the world at detecting them


In ancient China, tremors were seen as cosmic warnings of misrule. China was also more advanced than the rest of the world at detecting them.


Earthquakes

2025 Myanmar earthquake

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Reflections

Reflections | The ancient Chinese saw earthquakes as messages from the heavens. Why?

In ancient China, tremors were seen as cosmic warnings of misrule. China was also more advanced than the rest of the world at detecting them